RWBYond War
by mediaocrity4
Summary: Four years after the end of the Grimm War, Ruby and her allys are living their careers out in full. But when a mysterious armored man comes to Vale, looking to take down the heroes, Team RWBY must unite once more to save a world they thought to be beyond war. Sequel to RWBYond Vale and RWBYond Happily Ever After.
1. A Walk in the Woods

RWBYond War

 **AN: I know I have some people foaming at the mouth for this story, but I want to make this clear, this isn't some big bombastic sequel to RWBYond Vale. This is a smaller more personal story with smaller more personal stakes. This first chapter, is also an anomaly, I came up with this idea, long before I ever started writing RWBYond. This is the only time I'll be writing from tis character's perspective and he isn't going to be much more than a plot device by the end. This story is just too small to cram in all the characters from RWBYond Vale, and with new characters, don't expect everyone to make an appearance.**

Chapter 1: To Think It All Started with a Walk in the Woods

"Now Helios…" His mother looked at him with bloodshot cerulean eyes. "You protect… your sister now… you hear." His mother had been deathly ill for a long time now. She had taken them to Menagerie to do some good. She had fallen ill to some kind of cancer. By the time IT happened, she was too weak to even move.

The Grimm had hit the hospital hard. Not many people made it out of there alive. Helios' mother was one of the willing victims. She wasn't going to live long anyway and moving her was…impossible in that situation.

So a four-year-old Helios took his barely three-month-old baby sister, Eos, and ran. There were two kinds of people Hanson saw that day. People running and people fighting. The people who fought, died. The people who ran, well they weren't any better.

Helios wished more than anything that he could fight. But he had more than himself to think about. The infant clutched to his hoodie in desperation. She was crying up a storm and nothing Helios could do could stop it.

The crying had attracted more Grimm. The fear in the air was palpable even to the young boy. He was found that way by a man with a rifle that was firing bullets up at the Grimm. When he saw them, he stopped fighting and tried getting the kids to safety.

It didn't work, a beringel ambushed them and crushed the man's skull. Just when Helios was at the peak of desperation he heard an unfamiliar scream. The echoing wail was followed by a red streak that cut through the horde like a knife.

Strings wrapped around Helios and pulled the two children into a building. He was met with a dark haired girl and a large shark Faunas. There were other survivors with them as they entered the cave system of the city. Helios was safe after that.

Before too long they were on a ship headed for Atlas. Then they were taken with other refugees deeper into the kingdom. Then the war was over. Helios and Eos had no home to return to. So they bounced around various orphanages settling for one in Dragna for a short time.

That was four years ago. Now they were ship wrecked. The Grimm had returned, or at least enough strong ones to take out a small passenger ship. As far as the now eight-year-old boy could tell, not many people died. He and Eos had escaped on a boat. Shortly afterward the huntsmen of Vale had arrived. But by then, Helios and Eos' ship was carried away by a massive storm and onto an island.

Helios didn't know much about geography, so he couldn't for the life of him guess what the name of the island was. All he knew was that he and his sister were safe once again. Sadly, it was freezing out, winter had come and covered the snow in a white icy blanket and was still flaking down from the sky.

"Where are we?" Eos asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"I don't know." Helios said. "But surely there's a town here." He scanned his surroundings and saw a trail leading up a cliff. It was hard to tell because everything was covered in snow, but the markers of the trail were still visible, even if they could not be read due to the lack of light.

It was still the middle of the day but it was also a very cloudy day. Helios grabbed Eos' hand and started walking up the cliff trail in the vague direction of the pointed part of the signs. When they got to the top, curiosity got the better of him. He walked to the edge of the cliff. He could not see the ship, or any sign of the storm from here.

The curious thing was the small stone slab at the cliff's edge. Up close, Helios could make out a few letters. He traced his hand over it, so that he could find out what else it said. "Summer Rose-Thus Kindly I Scatter." At the bottom there was an engraving of a pose bud. A grave? Helios wasn't sure. But the stone had been well kept. The fact that it was not covered in snow meant someone had been here…recently.

"What is it Helios?" Eos asked.

"I think it's a grave." Helios said. "Someone was here recently."

"I think I see some tracks." Eos said. Helios went to investigate. Sure enough there were tracks. They weren't exactly fresh but the basic shape was still there.

"Let's follow them." Helios said. He grabbed his sister's hand and headed deeper into the forest.

They must have walked for hours. The tracks seemed directionless, never staying straight for more than a few yards. Hanson was getting hungry. Eos was too, but she was much more preoccupied with being tired.

"Bubby, can you carry me?" She said sweetly.

"Sure." Helios got on his knees and lifted his sister up on his back. "Wow, you're getting heavy Eos. Soon enough I won't be able to give you piggy-back rides."

"Nah-uh." Eos said. "Because you'll get bigger too."

"Oh…you're right." Helios kept walking. He tried to keep his eyes on the tracks but also looked for any light or anything that was a sign of civilization. It was now evening and getting colder. Helios could no longer feel his fingers and toes. His nose might as well have fallen off. Eos was shivering into his backside. Frustration, panic and exhaustion overwhelmed him. He set Eos in the snow and nearly collapsed.

"B…Bubby." Eos cried.

"I'm fine…" That's when he heard them. The growling, the snarling. They needed to go. "Run!" Helios said. He grabbed Eos hand and made a B-line for God knows where. They had to keep moving. Helios could see them running, scurrying around. The sound of paws on snow echoed alongside the growls and howls. Next came the red eyes, burning and bloody.

They had surrounded the two kids. Helios pulled out a pocket knife to defend himself. As the strange looking beowolf looked at him from the base of the nearby tree, Helios got into a defensive stanc.

"Bubby I'm scared." Eos cried.

"Leave her alone!" He yelled as loud as his tiny voice could carry. The monster looked at him curiously before being flanked by two more. Helios looked around and saw dozens of them creeping from the shadows. In the low lighting all he could see were the eyes.

The three in front pounced first. Helios squeezed his eyes shut and swung the blade wildly. He felt nothing but the cold air bite at his hands. Then there was a primal yelp, the sound of gears shifting, a gunshot, and a grunt.

Helios felt something hit his face. When he opened his eyes, it had dissolved. The Grimm howled in panic as they…tried running? Helios didn't even know that was possible. He hadn't even seen who…or what saved him and his sister.

Then there it was; crimson red streak moving like wild bullet through the pack, leaving rose petals in its wake. All Helios could see was the red streak carving its way through the Grimm, with the occasional glint of moonlight on metal.

Wherever the streak went, the Grimm in closest proximity would fall to pieces. It moved faster than the eye could see. If not for the trail of petals, Helios would not even be able to glimpse it. Because it moved so fast, the whole ordeal was done in a matter of seconds.

Helios looked up as the streak stopped in front of him. It was a woman clad in a crimson cape and hood. Shae wore black and red boots with long stockings leading up to her matching skirt. Her blouse could barely be seen as the wind rushed to Helios' face. The cape obscured most of her features.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Uh-huh." Helios could barely answer.

The woman dropped her hood to reveal a gorgeous face. She looked younger than how Helios remembered his mother looking. The sky began to clear, allowing Helios a better look at her face, which wasn't anything out of the ordinary, save for her eyes which were a startling silver. She also had dark, crimson hair that framed her face. There was something familiar about her, and not because of the red streak that had saved him before. Silver eyes…Helios had heard about that from somewhere.

"Well…" The woman sighed as she examined them. "Come on." She spun around, revealing a metallic rectangle attacked to her back. Helios assumed that it must be her weapon. It was red, and had lots of little grooves showcasing the shifting parts.

"Thank you for saving us Ms." Eos said.

"It was no problem." Ruby said. "It's my job to hunt monsters and save people."

"You're a huntress?"

"That I am." The woman responded. "What's your names, kids?"

"I'm Helios and this is my sister Eos."

"Those are bright little names." She said.

"If you're a huntress…that means you fought in the Grimm War."

"Yes, I fought."

"Did you ever fight in Menagerie?" Helios asked. The woman stopped in her tracks.

"You…you were in Puerto Nuevo…weren't you?"

"That's where I was born." Eos said.

"Our mom was sick and couldn't be moved from the hospital." Helios explained. "So, that was you I saw that day?"

"If what you just saw seemed familiar…that's because it is." She said.

"So what's your name?" Helios asked.

"Ruby…Ruby Rose-Arc." She said.

"Rose?" Helios said. "Say, when we got on the island we found a little gravestone with a rose on it."

"That's my mother's. She died when I was about your age."

"I guess I know how you feel." Helios said.

"I'm tired." Eos said. "How much further?" She whined.

"Not much." Ruby said. "But if you want, I can carry you." Eos took her up on the offer with a nod.

"So what were a pair of kids like you doing so deep in the woods?"

"We were ship wrecked." Helios answered.

"Oh, so you're survivors of that attacks earlier today."

"Yep." Helios said. "How did you know?"

"I wanted to go help, but I wasn't in the shape to go out on missions like that. I'm still not."

"Are you kidding me?" Helios said. "You slaughtered those beowolves."

"Beowolves are one thing, a kraken is another. This was just a warm up. Something to help me get back on my feet after sitting on my butt for so long."

"What happened?" Eos asked curiously.

"Well…Apparently it's frowned upon for a pregnant woman to go on hunts." Ruby joked.

"So wait…you have a kid?" Helios said.

"A beautiful baby girl that just turned one month." Ruby said happily. "She's got her mommy's eyes and her daddy's hair."

"What's her name?" Eos asked.

"Her names Citrine." Ruby answered. "You'll get to meet her when we get to my place."

"About that…" Helios said. "What's going to happen to us?"

"Well, I'll at least have you over for tonight. I take it your orphans, so I'll probably get you to an orphanage in Vale when I have the time. There's not really a place like that on this island."

"Speaking of which, what's the name of this place?" Helios asked.

"My, aren't you full of questions. You're on Patch silly."

"Well sorry Mrs. Arc, I'm not good with places." Helios crossed his arms eliciting a laugh from Ruby.

"Oh, I think you and I are going to get along quite well." She said. "I just hope Jaune isn't too tired from work. I also hope he remembered to pick up Citrine from the baby sitter. This is the first time neither of us have been by her side."

"Can I hold her?" Eos asked.

"Of course Eos." Ruby answered. "After I have my turn anyways."

After about half an hour of walking, they came upon the house. It didn't look like anything special. It was a simple log cabin that sat on the edge of a small road leading through the barren woods. There were lights on inside, meaning someone was probably already in there. Helios noticed Ruby's pace increase as they got closer to the house. She must have been excited to get back home. Helios was just excited to be somewhere warm.

 **AN: Again, I had the idea for this chapter LONG before anything else in this story or even half of RWBYond Vale. That's how long I've been saving this. On a side note, there was originally going to be an emotional arc for Ruby, where she doesn't have kids and can't because of a wound and that subplot was going to end with her being able to through…I won't say but regardless, I didn't like how that sounded when I said it out loud, so Citrine is already born. More on her next time. Please Review, follow, favorite and stay classy.**


	2. The New Rose Household

RWBYond War

 **AN: Wow, this story took off a bit. I guess it's to be expected with how many people ended up reading and enjoying RWBYond Vale. I just hope I don't disappoint with people expecting a story on that scale. So this chapter will address a common inquiry with some recent reviews.**

Chapter 2: After All These Years

Jaune practically ran out of his office the minute he could, stepped out into the frozen evening and hopped on his moped to get to the baby sitter. The twenty-three, soon to be twenty-four-year-old teacher rode his moped around town until he got to the Glens' farm. They had been watching Citrine so that he could go to work and Ruby could spend the day getting back into the swing of things as a huntress.

The semester hadn't even started. That was one thing that confused Jaune, that because of when the Grimm War ended, and school decided to begin after that, school years started at the end of Summer instead of the beginning of Spring. Now in winter, Jaune didn't have any classes but he still had a conference to attend. Just a bit of preparation for the next semester and some check up on students' progress in the previous semester.

"Daisy!" He knocked on the door. Daisy Glens answered with Citrine in her arms.

"Hey Jaune." She smiled. "Come in, I'll get you some coffee."

"No thanks." Jaune scratched the back of his neck. "I got to get back home. I don't want to keep Ruby waiting."

"Alright." She handed him the baby wrapped up in warm blankets. "The three of you definitely need to find time to have dinner with us."

"We'll try." He held Citrine up as the baby made gurgling noises. "Thanks again for watching her."

"Hey, the Roses might be the heroes of Patch, but us Glens are the mothers." Daisy said. "I watched Ruby grow up from a wee little thing just like that into the woman she is now and I expect to do the same for Citrine."

"Anyways, see you around." Jaune walked off the porch. As he strapped Citrine into the baby basket attached to his moped and made sure she was nice and warm, he looked into her big silver eyes. When he and Ruby decided to have a kid, they made a deal to not let either of their lineages die out. So, any child they have that has silver eyes takes the name of Rose. Any kid they have with blue eyes takes his name. Seemed fair enough.

Jaune loved the name Citrine. It was an orange gem, not too unlike a ruby. It was also a name, albeit not widely used, for an orange rose. Verta had taught Jaune all about flowers and their language. An orange rose was a hybrid of yellow and red roses. It also shared their meanings. Yellow symbolized friendship. Red symbolized love. Together it meant love from friendship. Which was Ruby and Jaune's relationship in a nutshell.

Cruising on his moped, helmet and goggles on to protect him from the elements, he thought about how great things have been since the war ended. He enjoyed teaching. He missed going out on hunts, but at the same time he didn't. Ruby would often use them as getaways with the girls, especially Weiss. Jaune on the other hand didn't even have a proper weapon. Not one that satisfied him anyway. Ruby helped him make a new sword, but it still didn't feel right. It was too…complicated.

So Jaune had taken to sports and gardening to occupy his time. He had made a lot of friends on Patch in the four years since he's been here. He would often go to the bar and watch the game. Sometimes Ruby would come, but it was mostly a guys' night thing. Jaune laughed at himself about that. His idea of a night with the guys consisted of drinking, playing pool, and watching the game. Ruby's idea of a girls' night out wasn't complete without gunfire, explosions and the sound of metal ripping through the hide of a Grimm. Isn't that telling of their lot in life?

Jaune had been the most eager for a kid. He kind of felt guilty for pressuring her into it. She had a certain reservation, mostly brought on by her lack of a mother and more specifically why Summer Rose was no longer among the living.

Ruby going through the pregnancy had been a mess. Jaune could have never imagined how foul mouthed Ruby could be when her hormones were on the fritz and she was barfing into the toilet from morning sickness. Jaune seriously thought he was going to be murdered, or literally eaten.

When Jaune got home, there were no lights on. Strange, he expected Ruby to be home by now. Maybe she was pacing herself sense this was her first hunt since getting pregnant. He unstrapped Citrine and carried her in. He was relieved to find the house was warm. He turned on the lights and set Citrine into her play pin in the living room.

Jaune decided to be a good little husband and make some hot cocoa for when Ruby got home. Looking at Citrine as she stuck a rattler in her mouth, she looked a lot like Jaune's sister, Ali. Which was fitting sense Aliquam was also named for orange. Of course, Ali took pride in that and had proceeded to vow to spoil Citrine for her entire life. Jaune wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. Especially with Yang clamoring over her first niece and Tai wanting to spoil his first granddaughter. That last one Jaune was fine with. It's just Yang and Ali weren't the best of influences.

"What are you looking at?" He said after taking a drink. Citrine was looking at him with her tongue hanging out of her mouth. For someone that was just over a month old, she was surprisingly mobile. She couldn't quite crawl yet, but she could turn in place and lift her head up.

She was such a happy baby. When she was first born she barely even cried. Ruby had been worried that something was wrong, but she was perfectly healthy. When she was hungry or thirsty she would make short bursts of a whining noise on repeat until someone cared for her.

Jaune picked her up and carried her to the counter. He warmed her up some formula so that he could feed her. He bounced her around in his arms and gave her a kiss on the head. After a bit of feeding he moved onto burp her. After a satisfying burp, Jaune held her into the air and wiped her mouth.

"Where is your mother?" He said.

"Bah." Citrine spat out.

"Yeah, I know, she's probably having fun without us." As he held Citrine into his side he glanced at the display case that was in the living room. It contained what was left of Corcea Mors. The blade once thought to be indestructible now rendered in pieces from the battle against Salem. Jaune kept the heirloom as a constant reminder that the war was over. His role in the world was different. In those days, he was a soldier, a captain in the White Knights, Winter's right hand man, a symbol of hope for the people in Atlas.

Now he was a father and husband first and foremost. He was a teacher after that. He didn't go out on hunts any more, that was Ruby's thing. Obviously in the earlier days of their marriage he would get dragged along for some hunts. Not so much anymore now that he was a househusband. Also, teaching took up a lot of time. Indigo had made fun of him being a Mr. Mom now that Ruby was getting back into the good fight. Jaune wore that like a badge. Ruby was missing out. She was going to end up being so tied up with her hunts that Jaune would become the favored parent. Then he could tease her about it. That was the plan at least.

He sat on the couch and held Citrine on his lap. He grabbed his scroll and cycled through the news. There was a crime spree in Vacuo. Felix Striter was running for reelection and was favored to win. That new movie about the beginning of the Faunas War was getting descent reviews, but it didn't interest Jaune much. Blake and Sun on the other hand were quite excited for it.

This was interesting. Grimm attacked a ship heading towards Vale. Five people dead, two of them security guards. Five more had gone missing. That was just earlier today. The story was still being covered live as it unfolded. Jaune wondered if Professor Branwen or Tai had arrived on the scene. It was in their territory. He'd ask Nora or Ren but they were taking a bit of leave with some fourth year Beacon Students. They were supposed to be gone until the next semester started in a few weeks. If they didn't…Qrow had Cardin and Dove on call to fill in if need be.

Jaune cycled through all the political bull crap. The Vale election was a circus from day one and had only descended from there. So long as the huntsmen kept their freedom, Jaune could care less. One of the perks to living in such a small town was that people tended to be like minded. It was sort of like that part in Art of the Hunt, where Arthur had theorized that small likeminded communities were better suited at preventing Grimm attacks. On the flip side, they weren't as well equipped to defend against attacks. Something about the Grimm's presence, and maybe it was the influence of the Grimoire on history, but humanity had never been able to psychologically adapt to the Grimm. The Grimm wouldn't let them. They didn't just feed on negative emotions, they produced them. Or so the theory goes.

Jaune looked again to Corcea Mors. Ruby had offered to fix it numerous times. But Jaune liked it the way it was. It was certainly still sharp. An embarrassing incident proved that much. Jaune just saw it as a weapon that was symbolic of the post-great-war ideologies. The very same ideologies that were championed by Ozpin and warped by Salem to be executed by men like Tobi and Necros. Now, huntsmen weren't just supposed to be honorable, honor was more or less reinforced in the post-Grimm-war world. People like Ruby, people like the man he was for those short years, were now the standard of character. The people who wanted to take advantage of freedom for illegal gain were now treated much more harshly. Which was a step up from people like Tobi having their personal Grimm factory and super-soldier lab on sealed islands like what the Isle of Storms used to be.

The sun had set some time ago. Jaune was beginning to worry about Ruby. Nothing would have happened to her…right? She was smart enough to run from a fight she couldn't win. Any fight too big for her to take control of would have certainly reached Jaune's ears, unless she ran off to Vale or somewhere else with that infernal Redstone scope of hers.

There was the sound of feet stopping on the welcome mat that alleviated Jaune's worries. Ruby opened the door, flanked by…two children who looked the worse for wear. Jaune blinked dumbfounded at his wife.

"Hey Jaune." She said with a dorky smile. Jaune just looked puzzled at her and the kids. "So you know how sometimes some people find lost puppies and decide to bring them home?" She took a long pause. "Yeah it's one of those."

 **AN: Not a lot in this chapter but there is a lot to unpack. A lot of hints and clues about character developments and where everyone is at. A glimpse into the home life of Ruby and Jaune. Citrine, who is just a baby in this story but, well, RWBYond Generations is a thing that is happening. Please review, for I love hearing your guys' thoughts so much. Also, follow and favorite this story and check back every day.**


	3. Married with a Child

RWBYond War

 **AN: Don't get too comfortable with this story. There will be a few more, cutesy episode to come, but the thrust of this arc is coming. Be patient. This chapter picks right up where the previous one left off.**

Chapter 3: Married with Children

Ruby looked at Jaune with an awkward smile. She wished he would say something. Instead he looked at her questioningly. She quickly ran through the story of how she walked around the island a few times and found the kids out in the snow and how they were going to stay over for a while.

"Um…that's fine." Jaune said. Ruby walked over to him and gave him a kiss.

"That all you can say?" She said.

"Well…I was the one who wanted more kids, but so many so suddenly…"

"They're not staying with us forever silly." She picked up Citrine and gave the infant a big smooch on the cheek. "Mommy missed you and thought about you the whole time." She cradled her first born child, the light of her world. She nearly passed out from the level of adorableness when Citrine cooed and grabbed her finger. She couldn't believe that something so small had the potential to become a powerful warrior. She couldn't believe that once upon a time, her mother probably thought the exact same thing about her.

She sighed in reservation at the thought. She set Citrine on the ground and laid down in front of her. The two Argentware, the only ones in Remnant, stared into each other's eyes with big smiles on their faces. Citrine burped, leaving a little spit down her mouth that Ruby gingerly swept away.

"So uh…I guess I'll show the two of you around." Jaune said. He took the kids on a small tour around the house leaving mother and daughter there alone. She rubbed the baby's head and cupped her cheek. Ruby then rolled onto her back, picking her daughter up and setting her on her chest. Ruby gave another kiss to the top of Citrine's head. The infant's scalp was so soft.

"Were you a good girl for daddy?" Ruby cooed. She sent a finger through the light hair that had started to sprout on her head. If this was any indication, the hair was definitely from Jaune's side of the family. All the Arcs had really soft hair. But it was still too early to tell for Citrine.

Ruby spun to her knees easing Citrine beneath her. She kissed her forehead and hummed a little nursery rhyme to her. She took her little feet and massaged them between her fingers. She pushed up on Citrine's little legs to stretch the baby's muscles.

"I wish I had a camera." Jaune said from the hallway passage. He had the biggest grin on his face. It was the look that said 'yep, I helped make that.'

"Don't judge me." She said. She eased up to her feet, holding Citrine against her breast.

"If I were judging…I'd say you were a wonderful mother." He walked over to her. He brushed his fingers against Citrine's scalp and cupped Ruby's cheek with his other hand. He leaned in and kissed her, quite a bit more passionately than he had when she first got home.

"So where's Helios and Eos?" Ruby asked.

"They're in your old room." He answered. "They're understandably tired."

"I should probably dig through the attic for some of mine and Yang's old clothes." Ruby said. "I'm sure I have something that would fit Eos, Helios would be a little harder. I never wore a lot of boys clothes, neither did Yang."

"We'll figure something out I'm sure." He took Citrine from her hands as the baby yawned. "It's about time for someone to go nighty night."

"I guess it is your turn." Ruby said. "I'm going to talk with Helios and Eos if they're up for it."

"I'll see you in the bedroom." He said. They took separate paths down the hall. Ruby got to her childhood room, a room that was mostly unused now. Helios was fast asleep but Eos was staring up at the ceiling.

"You had a long day, didn't you?" Ruby said as she took a seat on the bed.

"I guess." Eos shrugged. "I wasn't scared, honest."

"I never said you were." Ruby brushed some hair out of the blonde kid's eye. "But it would be fine if you were." Ruby said. "Jaune probably already told you this, but this used to be mine and my big sister's room. There was one day we went out in the forest and got attacked by Grimm, but my uncle saved me. I was scared, but when I saw him in action, that's when I knew exactly what kind of person I wanted to be."

"I don't get the big deal." Eos said.

"Well, you weren't old enough to remember the Grimm War." Ruby noted. "To you, the Grimm are more of a pest than mankind's greatest enemy."

"Maybe…I don't know much about that kind of stuff." Eos shrugged.

"I fought really hard in the war to make sure people no longer had to worry like they did when I was a little girl."

"Ruby Rose…."

"That's the name I was born with."

"I've heard stories about you." Eos admitted. "They say you're the greatest huntress ever. I didn't say anything before because I wasn't sure. Helios knows more than I do. It was Mr. Jaune that said something about the two of you being big time heroes."

"I prefer to stay out of the public spotlight." Ruby said. "I won that war for everyone, that's all that matters. Anything more would just be pointless boasting."

"What's boasting?" That's right, Eos was only four and wouldn't know a lot of words.

"It's when you talk about how good you are. Usually to make yourself seem better than anyone else. I can do things no one else can, but that doesn't mean I'm better than anyone else."

"If you say so." Eos didn't sound convinced. "Good night, Mrs. Ruby."

"Good night Eos." She stood up. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask." She walked out of the room, easing the door shut. "Do you want a night light?" She asked.

"No thanks. I'm not afraid of the dark."

"Brave girl." She smiled and closed the door.

She stepped into her room and saw quite the sight, Jaune getting into his sleepwear, which is to say nothing but boxers. Ruby set her weapon against the end table and started getting changed. She sniffed at her arm pits to check her odor. She didn't smell too bad so she decided that a shower could wait until morning.

She crawled up beside Jaune as both of them took out their scrolls to check the latest happenings. Other than the ship incident earlier that day, there wasn't anything that caught Ruby's eye. So she set her scroll down and leaned her head into Jaune's shoulder.

"I want another kid." He said as he sent a hand through her hair.

"Jaune, I just pushed one out last month, can't it wait?" Ruby laughed it off.

"I guess." Jaune sighed.

"Jaune, we don't even know how we're going to manage things with Citrine. The two of us working was enough to get us by this far. If we keep adding mouths I…"

"Don't give me that." Jaune said. "You're the highest demanded huntress in the world. The only reason why we aren't rolling in money is because you prefer to take the smaller jobs."

"You know exactly why I take the smaller jobs."

"Yes, I know, you want to try living a normal life. You want to protect the people who might not be able to afford a quality huntsman otherwise." Jaune sighed. "We've had this argument too many times."

"Then why do you keep trying to push me?"

"Because I want a large family Ruby." He said. "I want to be able to be that stay at home dad that holds down the fort while you're away keeping the world safe and our pantry full."

"Well…I'm not sure I want that life." She laid down facing away from him and he laid down facing away from her. She sighed in frustration. She and Jaune just…they hardly ever argued and when it was it was over the tiniest things like leaving the seat up or not putting the dishes away. But the size of family, and how to run the household was a constant butting of heads with them. They grew up in two very different circumstances and had two very different views on what it meant to be a happy family.

He just couldn't understand how hard it was for her to imagine having more than one or two kids. He didn't understand how much it killed her when her mother died. He didn't understand that fear Ruby had that the same fate awaited her.

"Everyone in your family with silver eyes has become a hero." Glas' voice rang in her head. "Every one of them didn't live to see fifty."

Ruby was still less than halfway there. She was determined to break that cycle. The problem was, if she saw a problem, especially a problem involving Grimm, she couldn't just stand idly by. Whenever she saw a conflict she rushed in head first, usually by herself, with reckless abandon. It was really bad when she was younger, but it still happened enough now to cause concern. She was one of, if not the, most powerful people in Remnant. She knew she wasn't invincible. Salem was infinitely more powerful than her and still met a horrible end. King too, was more powerful than her and was beaten with the power of teamwork. Even Cinder, in most regards was stronger than her and was currently wasting away in a prison cell.

Ruby bundled up as best she could. Jaune tugged back at the blankets trying to stay warm as well. What little bit of exposed skin Ruby had above her waste, was pushed against Jaune's bare back. He felt so warm. Ruby got a devious smile and thought across her face and mind. An idea that would surely alleviate the tension in the room and get Jaune in a playful mood. She spun around to face him and planted her cold feet into his back.

"Hey!" He jumped.

"You're so warm." She sighed.

"Well your feet are so cold." He spun around and grabbed them. As soon as he threw her feet downwards way from his top, ruby grabbed him by the neck and pulled herself closer.

"I'm sorry I got mad." She said as she kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her even closer. "I'm sorry I sprung the kids on you."

"I'm fine with that." Jaune kissed her neck causing her to moan in bliss. "I just thought if anyone would be bringing kids over, it wouldn't be you." He left a trail of kisses across her neck to her collar bone.

"Speaking of which, how are WE, the first ones in our group to have kids?" She twisted her legs around his.

"Well, helps that we were the first to get married." Jaune readjusted her to get better access to her collar bone. She had complete control over the situation now, just as she wanted. Dad always said to never go to bed angry. She wasn't sure this was what he had in mind but it worked for her.

"I guess that is all it would take." Ruby said. "I'm just glad Citrine will have a playmate before too long."

"Yeah, I wonder if they're going to have a boy or a girl." Jaune wondered. "I hope a girl. I don't want Citrine's primary playmate to be a boy."

"Well I think that would be the cutest thing." Ruby noted.

"So are we going to bed or are we…?"

"I'm too tired." Ruby admitted. "I just want to stay like this." She slid down his body and buried her face into his chest.

"Yeah, this is nice, isn't it?" Jaune fiddled with her nappy hair.

"I love you Jaune." She lightly kissed his chest.

"I love you too." He slid a hand up her bare back as their heartbeats and breaths synchronized into a lullaby and they drifted off to sleep.

 **AN: Ruby and Jaune make such a cute couple I think. A little more on what this next generation thinks of the people who forged the world as they know it. As I hinted before, Eos especially doesn't remember what things were like before the end of the Grimm War, so she only knows the more idyllic world that Ruby more or less created. Next Time: We get away from Patch and head off to Vacuo to catch some other characters as the mystery part of this story begins. Please review, follow and favorite.**


	4. The Game is Afoot

RWBYond War

 **AN: The plot thickens with this chapter. As always, I've had fun writing Lancaster fluff, but it's time, not to get down to brass tacks (that comes a little later) but we have a plot to introduce and just over twenty chapters left to see it through. Also to address the guy that tried leaving a guest review, I deleted it because it had nothing to do with the story, or my writing and was just trying to get me to go to a website.**

Chapter 4: The Ghost

Blake had her hands full with groceries as Sun used his semblance to open the door. Was it an abuse of his power? Maybe, but Blake wasn't going to complain. Over the last three and a half years, Blake and Sun had gotten quite accustomed to their Vacuo apartment. With Sun being primarily a teacher, and working with local police, while Blake taking full time huntress missions, it was a rarity for them to just have a day like this.

The last four years had been quite kind to her. Sun was an amazing partner. They had gotten 'married' after about a year of living together. Marriage was still an asinine concept for Blake though. She didn't really care for the legalities of marriage. But she had jumped at the chance to change her name to Wukong. Though, that was more an attempt to escape what little ties she had to her past than an actual desire to join in holy matrimony with Sun.

Yang had been her maid of honor and Neptune the best man. The wedding party had seemed a lot like Ruby and Jaune's. It had the same guest list, which just went to show that Blake didn't really have any friends of her own. Weiss had wanted to plan it, and did a lot to pay for it, though not quite to the extent she did with Ruby.

In the years since, Blake had done a lot of work cleaning up the criminal element that bled from the wounds Salem left on society. Sun had too, both as a teacher at Shade and as a partner with the Vacuo police department.

Blake was happy, that's all that a lot of people around her cared about. She had often found herself doing or saying something she never would have thought about prior to meeting Yang, Ruby and Weiss. She had a much sunnier outlook on life…she thought as she looked at Sun's back…God damn it Yang.

Sun had changed a lot to, and not just the ridiculous blonde caterpillar stuck above his lip. He had gotten a lot more mellow. Long gone was the cocky kid that would swipe an apple just for the hell of it. When they first moved in together, he had waited on Blake hand and foot. He made it his daily goal to make her laugh, bite her lip in joy, or just make her toes curl. Now he seemed a lot more worn and weary with the world. Blake couldn't help but blame herself. Her own hang-ups brought on by the implications of Faunas origins, and the constant arguments about parenthood had worn them down a lot faster than say, Ruby and Jaune.

They still loved each other. Lord knows there wasn't another man in all the kingdoms that would put up with Blake the way he did. And Blake liked to think that she was the only girls that could make Sun laugh and flaunt the way he did. The only other people that got them more than each other were Yang and Neptune. Yang might be open to roll that way but Blake wasn't so much. That was doubly true for Sun and Neptune. Even Yang, Blake knew better, wasn't anywhere as lewd as she portrayed herself. One of these days, Blake was going to test the theory out because she was sure that if…for instance…August actually took her up on her advances she'd shut down and not actually know what to do. She was just a useless flirt, so Blake believed.

Back in the present, Blake flipped on the lights to the apartment and started going through the groceries. After she set them away, making small talk to Sun as he vented about his job, she made them some tea. It was then that she noticed a stain on the counter that wasn't there before. Her and Sun may have been messy, but when they cleaned they made it look spotless.

Blake's ears twitched at a creak in the house. Someone else was here. Her hand went to her weapon magnetized to the back of her white coat. She pulled out her sword and pointed it at the direction of the intruder, who had a big stupid smile on her face.

"God Yang you about gave me a heart attack." Blake sighed sheathing her weapon.

"What's up kitty cat?" Yang said rubbing the back of her head. Her hair was in a ponytail, which by itself was an odd sight, though not too rare a one, especially in Vacuo. Apparently she learned her lesson about having a mane of hair out in the desert. Blake too, had kept her hair from getting too long, though it was longer than it was in the last year of the Grimm War when she cut it to escape from Adam.

"As much as I love the company…" Blake adjusted her old bow which was now wrapped around her arm. "What brings you hear." Blake's eyes lingered over her brown coat, orange shirt, prosthetic arm, and lingered more on the ursa mask strapped to her hip.

"Don't get too hot and bothered." She took a seat and scratched her exposed stomach. "We're actually here for Sun."

"What's up?" Sun said.

"We?" Blake raised an eyebrow.

Two people walked through the door. One was Flynt Coal, looking stylish as ever. The other, even though he wore a bird mask, was instantly recognizable. August Gold….so that makes two Arbiters and a teacher at Atlas Academy.

"Good thing we just got groceries." Sun joked. "Make yourselves at home."

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Blake asked.

"What do you have?" Flynt asked.

"I'll have tea." August said.

"I already raided your liqueur cabinet." Yang said. "Sorry for the spill by the way."

"It's fine." Blake said.

"See, I told you." Yang stuck her tongue out at August.

"I said we should wait until we were invited." August said. "You said, 'oh come on, they love me' then proceeded to break in."

"I guess I'll have some tea." Flynt took a seat. "Too early for alcohol, especially since I plan on going to the bar with Weiss as soon as these two drop me back off in Mantle."

"How are you two by the way?" Blake asked.

"We're back together if that's what you're asking." Flynt said. Blake didn't think to push it any further. Her interest in Weiss' love life ended so long as Weiss had someone from keeping her from going over the edge. Whether it was Flynt, or Neptune, or Yang or someone else didn't entirely matter.

"So what brings you all to Vacuo?" Sun asked as he poured August and Flynt some tea.

"What do you know about a group called Cipher?" Flynt asked.

"Never heard of them." Sun said.

"I think Weiss mentioned them once or twice a while back." Blake said.

"Flynt and I have been working together to track them for a few years now." August said. "At first I thought they rose up from the ashes of Salem's organization, but that doesn't seem to be the case."

"What do they do?" Sun asked.

"Petty crimes, extortion, racketeering, gun running." Flynt said. "All sorts of things."

"The thing is, this organization has been around for thousands of years." Yang said. "They're looking for something…we don't know what and that's what scares us."

"Worries aside…" August took out a sigil. "What we are about to tell you is of the upmost secrecy."

"Sun, we need your help." Yang said. "We've tracked Cipher's origins hear to Vacuo. Your connections with the academy and the police could give us the lead we need."

"Do you recognize the symbol?" August asked.

"Yeah, it's on an old fort in West End." Sun said.

"We know, that's where we found this." August sounded irritated.

"Is there anywhere else?" Flynt asked.

"Not that I can think of." Sun said. "Vacuo is full of ancient ruins and hieroglyphs. Picking out a single one is like finding a needle in a haystack."

"Can you look into this for us?" August asked.

"Yeah, I'll stay vigilant." Sun said.

"What's the deal anyway?" Blake said. "Surely an ancient order of liars and thieves isn't worth professors and Arbiters to unite."

Yang swallowed audibly. Flynt looked like he had seen a ghost. Blake looked around at her friends. There was a lot more to this story. Flynt sighed in resignation as he stood up. He walked to the window with his tea cup in his hand.

"When I first started this investigation, it was because some punk was talking to some of the criminals we have locked up in the Isle of Storms." Flynt knocked back the rest of his drink. "When I did some asking around, I found out he just wanted Edwin Glas' files that remained unaccounted for after his death."

"Then what happened?" Blake said. Flynt pulled out some pictures from his pocket.

"Six months ago, hunters started turning up dead." Flynt set the photos down one by one. "Mistral, Mantle, Dragna, Vacuo, Vale, every kingdom has had huntsmen murdered." They were all murdered huntsmen and huntresses.

"There are three things they all have in common." August said. "One, they all fought in the Grimm War."

"Which isn't unusual." Yang cut in. "It's only been four years. Most huntsmen working today fought in the war at some capacity."

"Roughly eighty percent to be more accurate." August said.

"The second thing is that they're auras were shattered." Yang said. "By low quality rounds no less, the kind of stuff you'd expect a combat school kid to be using."

"Lastly, every single one of them had a chance to put up a fight." Flynt set up his scroll. "We managed to get to articles that helped us link the cases. This is the first."

A video started playing. It was low quality and lacked audio. Russel Thrush stumbled out of a bar, obviously drunk. He walked down the street before stopping and turning. An man in full body armor came out of the shadows. Blake wished she could hear what they were saying. Russel grabbed his knifes defensively. The armored man paced around waving his arms dramatically.

Russel was the first to attack. He spun around to slash down on the man. The stranger dodged easily and punched Russel in the face. Russel kept the assault up, which the armored man casually dodged and blocked. He pulled out a pistol and shot Russel in the chest.

Russel vaulted up to his feet and used his spin attack semblance. The man casually kicked him away and started mercilessly beating him. He had Russel around the throat. Then he shook his head and threw Russel to the ground. Russel threw a blade beam and the man blocked it. Russel kicked at him and his leg got caught. Russel was then thrown into the ground repeatedly.

Russel broke free with a double slash attack. He was pushing the assailant back. Then an elbow to the ribs knocked the wind out of him. The armored man unleashed a hail of bullets that shattered Russel's aura.

The man stood over his body, and quickly finished him off with several rapid punches to the face. Russel's body went limp. The man shook his head disappointedly. He walked right underneath the camera. There wasn't an ounce of skin exposed. His armor had lots of metal segments that expanded and shifted with his muscles. He took two fingers and pointed them to his head. There was a led display for his eyes, that were pointed parallelograms that narrowed and expanded like eyes do. He took the fingers from his head and pointed them at the camera, and everything went black.

"What did I just watch?" Blake felt sick. She never liked Russel, but he was a classmate. She still knew who he was. To see him killed so casually, just put a pit in her stomach.

"I caught up with Allister Briggs." August said. "The man that was talking about Cipher to Tobi and…Adam."

"I see." Blake said.

"He gave me what I wanted." August said. "A file about the new Cipher Commander."

"This guys a ghost." Flynt said. "No name, no description. Just a gun, a suit, and an attitude."

"The files are mostly blacked out." Yang said. "But he does have aliases. He is the Cipher Commander. His title is the Silver Knight. But his actual codename, is Vile."

"Vile?" Blake said.

"Again, it's just a codename." Yang said. "Something for his subordinates to address him by."

"How many men does he have?" Sun asked.

"Haven't the faintest idea." Yang said. "We were lucky to have gotten this much on him. Apparently he's been shaking things up for Cipher. They've become more militaristic. But that's just words. We have no evidence to nail this guy as anything other than a hero hunter."

"Why am I just now hearing about all this?" Sun finally asked.

"We don't want to cause panic." Yang said. "We're dealing with it. We're not covering it up. We just haven't announced any details or similarities in the deaths."

"That's a dangerous game you're playing." Sun said.

"We know." Yang said.

"Anyway, thanks in advanced for any help you can give." Flynt said.

"I'll rough up some of the hooligans around town and see if they know anything about Cipher." Sun said.

"I'll come with you." Blake said. "It's dangerous to go alone."

"I'm not so sure about that." Flynt said. "Whoever this guy is, he's not hiding his actions. I've been looking for him for three years now. All my answers just raise more questions. It's gotten to the point where they are taunting me. In short, searching for them, trying to find them, it may very well be the safest thing to do. They get off on having people look for them."

"Good to know." Sun said.

"Still…" Blake cut in.

"Actually…" Yang interrupted. "Neptune should go with him."

"Why?" Blake said.

"I'm going to Vale to see if I can find anything there." Yang said. "I'd appreciate it if you came."

"Sounds like a plan." Sun said. "Neptune knows a lot of the arms dealers; he can probably get me a lead if these guys are primarily in that business." Yang pulled out a picture.

"Besides…" She put the picture in Blake's face. "You STILL haven't gotten to see my adorable little niece Citrine. Isn't she just the cutest thing you could ever imagine?"

"Yeah, whatever…I'll go." Blake said. "But I'm taking all the tuna with me." She said to Sun.

"Fine by me." He said.

"I'll head back to Mantle with Flynt and investigate there." August said.

"My mom's got Dragna on lockdown." Yang said. "We also have Beowulf and Taijitu looking into things in Mistral."

"Scarlet eh." Sun said. "Good to know he's doing fine."

"So we'll reconvene somewhere at a later date?" Flynt said.

"We'll all stay in touch." Yang said. "Oh and none of this crosses Ruby's ears. She worked herself to death to save the world and improve the huntsmen's standings. If she finds out someone is making a mockery of her profession she'll go out and just get herself into trouble."

"We'll tell her, when it's appropriate…" August said. "Or when we have no other choice."

 **AN: The game is afoot. The heroes, or at least half of them, are on the hunt. What will they find? Will they find anything? Just what the hell is with this Vile guy? Keep reading to find out. Next Time: Something involving Weiss. Please review, follow and favorite.**


	5. Trouble at SDC

RWBYond War

 **AN: Still going for the slow burn on this one, but this is where it's going to start picking up speed. This chapter may also introduce another figure in this story that will serve as one of the secondary antagonist. On a separate note, RWBYond Vale hit 100 favorites. I'm so glad people are still discovering and reading that story.**

Chapter 5: Break in at the SDC

The Schnee Dust Company wasn't quite as immaculate as it had been in Weiss' youth. The Grimm War had hit it hard, literally. Over four years since it was attacked at the beginning of the Battle of Atlas, and the company was still recovering. Sturm Schnee had been slain by the deadeye Jackson Schnee. Weiss and Winter had both fought hard to secure the building, but the damage was done.

Weiss tried her damnedest to rebuild the company. Four years of her in control, and the SDC had expanded their humanitarian efforts tenfold. Their level of production had also gone through the roof thanks to the anomalous SDF Zone. Sadly, their level of returns had been virtually nonexistent until recently.

Things were finally looking up for Weiss. Atlas would soon be seeing its first graduating class since the war ended, albeit still a little way's away. Weiss had satisfied her shareholders for once this year. The annual Schnee Ball was a resounding success. Weiss had gotten the amazing idea to convert her childhood home into a museum celebrating Mantle's long history. It was still her house for all intents and purposes, but sense she preferred hotel rooms and her office couch anyway; might as well do something to keep it from going unused. The profits of that particular venture had also made Weiss happy, even if she didn't need the money she knew of thousands of families who greatly appreciated it.

Even Weiss love life had taken a turn for the better. A few months ago it had hit a rough spot. She had a massive argument with Flynt, leading to a breakup. Then when she called Yang up to complain, they went out drinking. That led to an embarrassing situation. Afterwards, Neptune had visited sense he was in town anyway. There was a temporary relapse with him that didn't lead anywhere expect bitterness and self-loathing. Thankfully, after that night with Neptune she remembered why she had left him in the first place and why she had started dating Flynt. That led to them making up, which now that Flynt was back from his little meet up with the Arbiters, did wonders for Weiss' personal mood.

"Ms. Schnee." Willow said as she buzzed in. "Ms. Polendina is here for her appointment."

"Wonderful, send her in." Weiss responded. She quickly stood up, letting the long dress drift with her movements. Penny walked in wearing a pants and a top common among those who wish to look formal without putting a lot of effort into it.

"Salutations Weiss Schnee." The automaton said with a salute.

"It's wonderful to see you again." Weiss gave her a hug. Despite being made out of metal, Penny was quite warm. "So, would you like to get started or would you like to catch up first."

"Oh, I'd love to chat…but I also want to be there for Rubrum's weapon test later today."

"I understand." Weiss sighed. "How is he anyway?"

"He's doing fine." Penny said with a smile. "He's been real busy repairing the kingdom defenses though."

"Well that's why we're here." Weiss nodded. "Right this way."

She led Penny to the elevator where they'd go down into the lab. She took a deep breath as she put her thoughts in order. Penny awed at the view from the elevator as it looked out over the city. As they descended, they got a closer more intimate look at the surrounding area. As they passed the threshold into the underground section, everything got dark.

"So, when did you find this…stuff?" Penny asked.

"I'll get to that in a second." As soon as the door opened, Weiss began the tour and speech. "As you know, the SDF Zone has been the leading source of dust in recent years. Though we do not know why it happened or even how, we know it happens with some regularity."

"The destruction of the Hecatonchires." Penny added.

"Precisely." Weiss nodded. "Over the last few months, we found a clue as to how it happens."

"You have?"

"What do you know about Redstone?" Weiss asked.

"Redstone, a rare red gem, similar to dust, that grants the wielder an altered perception of their surroundings and access to a phenomenon called the Black Gate. It has been primarily used by the Arbiters, in order to move around the kingdoms freely in service to Avarice."

"Good, I was banking on that much." Weiss sighed. "Unlike dust, Redstone does not react with aura. This is a key difference. Dust on its own can't do anything unless something activates it. Redstone on the other hand is always active in some capacity. This is why all it takes is having a bit in your pocket to feel it's effects."

"If not aura…then what?"

"The mind." Weiss said. They reached to the edge of the hallway. "For security purposes, we'll have to be scanned."

"Um…"

"Don't worry, it's not a metal detector." Weiss reassured. "Well, it is but the people running it know what they're going to be looking at. Afterwards we'll be decontaminated." The lasers scanned them and they were blasted by cleansing gases.

"Oh Ms. SchneeWillow said over the speaker. "We picked up something in the scan."

"Can it wait?" Weiss said.

"Yes, yes it can." The guard said. Weiss and Penny kept walking.

"Do you think it was important?" Penny asked.

"If it was they would have told me." Weiss answered. "Anyway, where was I?"

"Redstone?"

"Oh, yes." Weiss chipped. "So as you already know, there is a strange connection between Redstone and the Black Gate. We also know that Grimm come from something very similar."

"The black sludge that harbingers drop."

"Right again." Weiss said. "Before I finish this little speech, I need you to know, that this theory comes from something Flynt and I found in River of Knowledge while investigating…something else. It was theorized by a man named Avis Bran, that Redstone was not from this world. The Black Gate portal looks like a tunnel with red and black swirling walls. He believed, that on the other side was a whole different world where the Grimm, dust and Redstone resided when not on Remnant."

"What do you mean?"

"In short…" The doors opened. "The dust we are salvaging now is the exact same dust that was once dug up in Vytal following the end of the Great War. As in, not similar, the exact same, but refueled and purified."

Inside was the lab. Lasers and other things were being shot through Redstone amulets in order to tap into the Black Gate and attempt to breach it. Namely, and the reason Penny had come, they were using robots in order to run their tests. Namely, a new batch called the Red Explorers.

"This is all quite impressive." Penny said. "But that's not exactly why I'm here."

"I know, but these new machines have the capability to utilize Redstone. Thanks to our efforts in utilizing the Black Gate, we were able to increase our Redstone reserves tenfold. You probably already know this, but the more aura that is used with dust, the larger the effect. It's a simple equation of power times dust volume equals potency and power times dust surface area equals area of effect."

"Which is why dust is so much more useful in powdered form." Penny noted.

"This is why guns used by robots without aura have limited effect. Yet even a speck of dust utilized by…me for instance…can bring down a Grimm. But because Redstone only requires something that can think, however limitedly, it makes it much easier for aura-less machines to use it. These in particular can teleport to any Black Gate area in the span of a city. We're working on getting them to where they can teleport anywhere in the world. But as you can imagine, that kind of progress takes time."

"Fascinating." Penny said. "That's quite a bit to take in."

"Oh, you should have seen the notes we had to decipher. Luckily, they were already transcribed some time ago from an even older undecipherable text."

"Intruder alert!" A siren blared. "Intruder alert!"

"Oh for f…" Weiss cut herself off. "Of all days."

"Ms. Schnee…perhaps I should inform you…" Willow called in.

"I know; security will deal with it." Weiss said.

"No, not that." The voice said.

"Deal with the intruders, then whatever has you so bothered can be brought up." Weiss huffed.

"Very well, but I should advise against a confrontation." Willow said.

"Duly noted." Weiss ignored the plea. What could Willow possibly be on about? "Mueller…" She rang her head of security. "Where is the intruder?"

"One level above you Ms. Schnee." Mueller answered.

"Good, come Penny…you're probably more attuned to fighting than me at the moment."

"I thought I was always more attuned to fighting than you." Penny covered her mouth at the borderline insult. "No offense."

"None taken." Weiss said.

Weiss and Penny got to the elevator which was sealed. Penny peeled it open and Weiss cast glyphs to get them up one floor. Weiss had already told Penny some time ago that that this floor was used to store the outdated Atlesian Knight models. She was going to do something with them some day but she hadn't decided yet, especially with all her other projects.

"Hello Ice Queen." The pasty faced man said with a yellow grin as he fired his pistol. Weiss dodged the blast and flung a trail of ice towards him.

"Jelly Kerr…I thought you were rotting in a prison where you belong." Weiss charged forward but her blow was deflected by his crowbar. Penny pulled her swords out and began fighting the thugs that had accompanied him.

"You should give up now princess." Jelly said. "We both know how our last fight went."

"I seem to remember knocking you off a catwalk and into an ice trap in this very building." She advanced forward, landing a strike across his chest.

"Oh, I forgot about that…bugger." Jelly fell backward only to be blasted by Weiss thunder dust attack. The next few attacks missed, undoubtedly because of Jelly's probability semblance combined with Weiss lack of real practice. "I was referring to the first time we fought."

"Oh I remember alright…" She hit him with a forehand swing. "Forehand…." The next attack she landed was a backhanded swing… "or backhand, which one hurts more."

"Backhand, lefties always have a killer backhand." Jelly joked. He staggered backwards only to be hit with all of Penny's blades. No amount of altered perception or quick thinking was going to block that.

"You were taking too long." Penny said.

"Don't you train like…five students at once every day?" Weiss reaffirmed. She felt winded despite the brief encounter. Penny took notice of this.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Weiss said. "Just…need a breather." She sat back. All the thugs were taken care of.

"Phos…get out here and help me!" Jelly said.

"God damn it." A woman came out of the drill. "Seriously, we locked this place down. What could be so hard about loading up a few tin cans." The woman wore a dark green trench coat a white shirt and blue jeans. She had purple eyes and matching hair that hung haphazardly around her face. "Oh." She looked at Weiss and Penny. "That would be bad." Phos jumped from the ship. "Terra!" She called into the ship. "Go ahead and take what we have to Vile. I'll use a Black Gate to get the rest when I'm done.

"Okay!" Another female voice called from inside the machine. The thugs started scrambling in. Weiss blocked their escape with a wall of ice.

"I don't think so." Weiss threatened. In an instant the ice was cut into pieces. Phos was holding a giant needle like blade. She smiled confidently as a pink energy surrounded the weapon.

"I always wondered how my skills compared to yours." Phos said. "The Schnees are supposed to be one of the most legendary families in Remnant. So show me what you got."

"With pleasure." Weiss charged for a stab but her body hitched as she felt a cramp in her stomach. Phos noticed this and slashed her across the chest. Weiss' scroll beeped signifying her aura level becoming weak. That was impossible. She knew what a strong attack felt like. That blow should have been nothing.

She blocked and countered the next sequence of strikes. Each of them moved faster than the untrained eye could see. Penny was busy trying to stop the machine from evacuating. Weiss stumbled as her head went dizzy, allowing Phos to trip her up and stab her in the back.

Weiss screamed in pain and Penny responded. She abandoned the escaping machine to save Weiss from what could have been a fatal blow. Phos pointed her fingers and pink energy beams were fired from them. Penny easily blocked them with just a few swords, sending the others on the offensive.

"You disappoint me Schnee." Phos taunted. "I thought even a novice would put up more of a fight. Oh well, maybe you're feeling under the weather. You still moved with the same speed and strength as the footage would have suggested. But there was something lacking in your polish and your stamina was nonexistent."

"Stop taunting her when I'm your opponent." Penny said. She fired her full dollar beam, blasting Phos into a wall.

"I was just speaking my mind." Phos said. "As for you." Phos took out a pen. "You're much easier to deal with." She continued firing lasers from her fingers as she dodged Penny's attacks. Penny moved in closer, and twirled her blades around in unison. Phos spun her laser needle around to block them, but Penny was just too much for her. Penny wasn't even breaking a sweat, not that she physically could. Meanwhile, Phos was clearly losing the fight.

Phos flipped over and was intercepted mid-air by a flying sword. Penny linked up the blades and hit Phos from all sides. Phos moved well, but after a sword hit her ankle she tripped to the floor. Penny hit her from all angles, blades pinned her clothes to the ground and strings wrapped around her limbs.

"Now, who do you work for and why are you here?" Penny questioned.

"That...is not the question you should be asking." Phos clicked the pen which had remained unused in her hand. "The question you should be asking…is why have such a strong body if it gives you such disadvantages.

An electric blast came from the pen engulfing Penny. She screamed in pain as electricity followed her wires all the way into her back. She dropped to her knees as her limbs began to twitch. The blades and strings slacked allowing Phos to break free.

"Penny." Weiss tried standing up only to be blasted by a laser.

"This little pen is all it took to shut down power to and from this floor." Phos said. "Luckily, we all have one just in case." Phos held up her needle and channeled her energy into it. "I don't really care if you live or die. But Vile at least wants Penny to be salvageable. She's just a one of a kind item that would be terrible to waste." She raised her hand to strike Penny down.

"No!" Weiss screamed. She summoned the dread-knight, as she took to calling it now, and swooped up and slammed Phos into the ceiling. Phos spat up a bit from the impact. The dread-knight tossed her up and smashed her with its sword. Phos landed on a deck and extended her laser needle out, stabbing right through the summoning and through Weiss leg.

Weiss felt blood rush out of the wound and onto her dress. Things got a little hazy after that. Phos limped down and back to the still convulsing Penny. With a single stroke, Penny was cut in half, and went still. Weiss felt tears well up in her eyes. Then Phos stood over her. Then, just before Weiss could welcome death, Phos stopped.

"What do you mean let her live?" Phos said. She was on an earpiece now. "No, screw that, I don't care who she is." Weiss could barely make out a mechanical voice. "Whatever, I'll see you in a bit." She hung up. "Freaking sadist." She turned to Weiss. "Good news, you get to live to fight another day. Though I can't for the life of me figure out why." Phos walked out via the hole the machine had made. Weiss crawled over to Penny. Sure enough her soul was intact. If not for the features installed to protect her sanity, she likely would still be able to function the top half of her body. Feeling that relief, Weiss passed out.

 **AN: This chapter is going up a little early, that's because I was a few minutes early last chapter so the site didn't count it as an actual update. Yes, I still think that is really dumb. On the flip side, because of what's going on next chapter, and how bus I am tomorrow, the next chapter won't be uploaded until the afternoon. Next time: Ren and Nora come into play. Please review, follow and favorite.**


	6. Ballad of the Fleet Footed Assassin

RWBYond War

 **AN: Let's keep this ball rolling. I'm hyped for the Volume 3 Tugg screening today, the World of Remnant videos that have been coming out, and the start of Volume 4 at the end of this week. But that's not the only hype I'm feeling. Let's get some freaking Vile hype!**

Chapter 6: Kill Shot

Despite the wintery weather of the Valean forest, Nora felt quite warm. Part of it was the bushy coat she was wearing. Part of it was the company she was keeping. Part of it was how cozy the carriage she was traveling in was. Though, the biggest part was the helpless little thing growing inside her. Nora had found out some time ago that she was pregnant. Of course, she babbled all about it to anyone that would listen. Yeah, there was a lot of pain that came with it, and Nora didn't have the stamina she would otherwise, but the thought of holding the future little piece of Nephrite just got her all giddy.

She had already picked Nephrite Ren to be its name, regardless of gender. It was a pretty name she thought. She hoped, boy or girl, the kid turned out more like her husband than her. Few people had the patience to put up with Nora on a daily basis, and having two, she feared, would reach the end of Ren's patience.

When she and Ren got married she combined their names in a unique way. She was now Lie Nora Valkyrie. The students just called her Prof Nora, or Professor Nora if they were feeling a little more formal. It had been that way for almost four years now. Ever since the war ended, Nora had become the Grimm Studies professor at Beacon, filling in for the late Professor Peter Port.

Speaking of which, she and Ren were accompanied by a promising young team of seniors. Team VACM, pronounced vacuum, were a good team. They weren't too amazing like RWBY and JNPR had been back in the day. It was odd only being two years older than your students, but those things happen after a war.

Vid Zamus was their leader. Nora had first met him back when she had stayed at Ruby's house on Patch. He had been a classmate of hers once upon a time. His partner was Coal Davis, who had a pretty nifty arm mounted multi-form weapon. Aran Baul was quite the rapper, so he thought and Mello Anthony looked absolutely ridiculous with his oversized mustache he had been working on for years.

Ren led their little troop around the bordering villages South west of Vale proper. It would be another hour before they reached the next village, so in the meantime, Nora was going to enjoy the company. Ren, Vid and Mello didn't make much for conversation. They just listened to their respective partners talk their ears off.

Nora loved the mode of transportation. Horse drawn carriages made her feel like royalty. These horses in particular were named Licorice and Cinnabun. They were horses that Ren had rented to ease the stress of travel for his pregnant wife. He was such a gentleman. Nora wondered how she could have been so lucky. Really, all of team RNJR had gotten lucky. Jaune and Ruby were certainly happy. Nora was happy that Nephrite would never have to worry about not having a playmate sense Citrine was going to be so close.

"Ooh." Nora cooed. "I think I can feel her kicking."

"I'm not sure your far enough along for that Nora." Vid said.

"Oh, I wonder who she'll take after. I hope you take after your daddy." She rubbed her stomach. "Oh, a girl Ren! That would be so adorable."

"Oh great, now I'm imagining Professor Ren as a girl." Coal sighed. "And I don't know what scares me more, that thought, or the fact that I'm liking it."

"Come now Coal, it's perfectly natural to find Ren handsome." Nora said.

"Easy for you to say Prof Nora." Coal retorted.

"Hold up." Ren said with a wave of his hand. He looked so handsome now, with his hair all long and lushes to the point it could give Yang a run for her money. Vid joined his side and scanned the surrounding trees. Nora knew that look on their face. She may not be in shape to fight, being three months pregnant and all, but Maginhild was still an exceptional ranged weapon. "Get down!" Ren dove to the ground as a blue bolt hit the ground.

The light was blinding for a second. When the light faded, Nora saw what appeared to be a dark blue hologram. It was counting down. '3…' Nora readied her weapon. '2…' Everyone got up and backed away just in case it was a bomb. '1…' Ren aimed his pistols and surveyed the trees. 'Kill Shot.'

Something dropped from the trees behind them. Nora spun around and saw an armored man grab Coal and Mello by the wrist, slam them into each other, hit them with a series of kicks to their legs and stomach before spinning with a series of punches, knocking them down. Ren spun and fired and the man disappeared. Ren kept firing as the cloaking field fizzed in and out, he was still leaving tracks making him easy prey for Ren.

The man pulled out his own pistols which went off in a resounding boom. Aran took his sling shot and used his golden ball semblance to fire the dense projectile at the attacker. The stranger dodged it and fired at Aran. Vid stepped forward and blocked it with his wind blade semblance. Vid engaged him in close quarters. He held his own for a brief second, long enough for Ren to leap and kick him in the face.

Ren spun around firing, peppering the attacker with bullets. They appeared to not have any effect. The man regained his composure as he flipped and spun around the remaining bullets until Ren was forced to reload. The man made a dash towards Ren, only to be hit by Aran's weapon. The man fell to the ground but rolled back up to his feet and shoulder checked Ren.

Coal got up and attempted to punch the attacker. But whoever he was, he was fast in all the ways that counted. He moved with a dark blue hue, almost like in after image, he was moving so fast to avoid his attackers. He swept Coal's legs and spun up to deliver a knee to the boy's throat. Ren slashed him with his blades, getting him to back off.

Vid dropped down with a swing of his blade. The man casually dodged it. Mello got up and readied his spring rapier. As soon as the man took notice of this he bent his leg around Vid's neck and forced himself to the ground all the while firing to keep Mello back.

Coal tackled the attacker off of Vid and threw several punches at the armored man. The assailant took it in stride, rolling to his feet and shrugging the punches off like nothing. The assailant upper-cut Coal and leaped into the air with a two handed strike and batted Coal to the ground causing a large crater to form.

Ren intercepted the man as he landed and slashed away at him. Vid joined for the combination attack but was shot in the chest, sending him reeling. Aran fired another projectile and this time the assailant punched it back at Aran, hitting him in the face and knocking him right where the countdown had been.

Aran screamed in pain as the aura bomb went off. Nora jumped from her seat, tired of not being able to do anything and checked to make sure Aran was alright. She looked back and saw Vid get his head slammed into the carriage. Ren attacked using a palm strike, and the assailant met it with a near identical move.

"Finally." His mechanical voice rang. "Someone who is able to put up a fight."

"Who are you?" Ren said as they locked guns firing haphazardly.

"Questions, questions." The man said. "For all intents and purposes, you can call me Vile."

"A fitting name for someone who would attack six huntsmen." Ren taunted.

"You're nothing but a warm up for a bigger fish." Vile kneed Ren in the chin. Nora got herself a crazy idea. She transformed her weapon into a hammer, and picked up one of Aran's projectiles. She took aim. As soon as Vile and Ren met blows, she tossed the golden ball up and smacked it with her hammer. The blow sent Vile flying.

"We need to go." Ren said. "Coal, load Aran onto the carriage." He ordered.

"Yes sir." Coal said. Ren helped Nora onto the carriage.

"Thanks for the assist." Ren said.

"Don't mention it." Nora blushed. Coal took the reins and whipped them to get the horses moving. There was an explosion behind them. Vile was rocketing towards them with jet boosted shoes.

"What the hell is with this guy?!" Coal cursed. Vid dropped off to hold him off. Vile moved in a blue blur to send an elbow into Vid's ribs, blasting him back onto the carriage. Nora fired a volley of grenades at him but he leaped into the trees to avoid them.

Ren and Nora began firing into the trees towards him. Vile pursued relentlessly. He dodged a hail of bullets and shot a grenade out of the air. Vile landed on the carriage and swept Vid's legs and kicked him off the carriage. Nora swung her hammer but Vile dodged it. Aran staggered up and fired his slingshot at Vile, but Vile dodged it. It was enough to distract him though.

"Lotus Blast!" Ren fired the condensed aura blast, the most advanced aura based technique and one that Ren was one of few that could even do. Vile was hit in the chest and flung off the carriage. There was a digital zipping sound as Vile caught back up and shot the wheel off the carriage right as they were taking a turn at the cliff.

The carriage fell as the rest of them jumped. Nora cried out as the carriage fell apart. Luckily the horses had broken off and escaped. Coal took a swing at the charging Vile, but the assailant dove between his legs and hurled him off the cliff. Ren tried to fight, once again meeting Vile blow for blow and landing several good hits.

Vile quickly shot Aran as he tried getting back up. The dust-round went into Aran's aura-less chest knocking him out cold. Ren and Vile traded kicks. Ren seemed to move faster, but not by much. Vile was much stronger though. Nora could feel the blows Ren was taking. Then, with a nifty spin move, Vile kicked Ren in the chest and fired into Ren's chest sending him flying off the cliff.

"Ren!" Nora fired at Vile, who casually dodged each one.

"Stop worrying about him and worry about yourself." He kicked her in the face causing her to spin face first into the snow. "If I wanted you dead you'd be dead already." Vile fired into the snow right by Nora's head. That wasn't a normal bullet. The ringing was too unique; it was a skull-round. He had skull-rounds the entire time and didn't use them.

"Why?" Nora said, clutching a fist full of snow in her hand.

"Besides, if Lie Ren of all people would perish in a fall like that…then fighting you certainly wasn't worth my time." He kicked Nora over to where she could look up into his mask, which had LED lights for eyes. "You were a warm up…the last one before I can even think to fulfill my desire. I don't wish for your death." H flicked her on the head. "Nor am I willing to take the life of your unborn child."

"Then what?" Nora asked.

"A lesson. Your situation will send the message I desire. Then, I'm going to show the world…that heroes… fall." Vile clenched his fist. Then Nora saw nothing but darkness.

 **AN: Vile has made his first real move. The rook has been taken out. Who will he strike next? When is he striking next? Just what is with this guy? Find out all that and more…sometime in the future. Next Time: Ruby receives a message. Be sure to review, follow and favorite for chapters every day.**


	7. The Challenge

RWBYond War

 **AN: I'm going to be doing a video about the recent World of Remnant Videos. So, in the next day or two, look up Evan's World of Remnant Rundown, on YouTube. So this chapter are basically just an aftermath and reaction to what's happened in the last two chapters. It's also the place where most of the dialogue from the trailer is coming in.**

Chapter 7: Kid Gloves Are Off

Jaune put his hand on Ruby's shoulder as they entered the hospital elevator. They had just got word that Nora and Ren had been attacked and were now in the hospital. After that, they rushed to Vale as fast as they could to see them.

Ruby carried Citrine with her, not wanting to part with the children for the trip. Jaune wasn't sure what she was feeling. She was pretty good at masking her feelings. Jaune was confident however, that she'd reveal her true feelings to him soon enough.

Helios and Eos followed behind them. Ruby was going to take them to the orphanage later and see what she could figure out for them. Jaune and Ruby explained who they were going to see, and the kids took it in stride.

Jaune was worried sick. He had lost a teammate before. When he heard the rest of his old team had been attacked he had feared the worse. It was once again Ruby that held him up and got him to calm down. So here they were together, getting ready to have an unconventional reunion of Team RNJR.

When they got to their floor, they saw Vid sitting on a bench with wrappings around his head. By his side were Yang and Blake. Jaune wondered why they were here. He also suspected when Qrow would show up. Team VACM were his students after all.

"Ruby." Yang waved. She gasped when she saw Citrine nestled into Ruby's arms.

"Yang?" Ruby said.

"Gimme." Yang ran at her and swooped Citrine out of Ruby's hands. "And how are you doing you adorable little muffin you?" She gave Citrine a big smooch causing the baby to giggle.

"What are you doing here?" Ruby said.

"We're here on a mission." Blake said. "It's good to see you again Ruby." She hugged her teammate. "You too Jaune." She took notice of Helios and Eos. "Who are these kids?"

"They're orphans from that shipwreck the other night." Ruby answered.

"Shipwreck?"

"That's right, you weren't in town that night. Yang, Blake, this is Helios and his little sister Eos. Kids, this is my big sister and old teammate Blake."

"Pleasure to meet you." Helios said.

"Yeah, yeah." Yang held Citrine to Blake's face. "Blake, this is by baby niece Citrine. Citrine, this is your auntie Yang's best friend Blake." Citrine reached out and grasped one of Blake's cat ears.

"Pleasure's all mine." Blake said through her teeth.

"What are you two doing here anyway?" Jaune asked.

"Well…" Yang started.

"We've been looking into a group called Cipher." Blake answered.

"We think it was their leader who attacked Nora and Ren." Yang said.

"Cipher?" Jaune asked. Ruby walked over to Vid.

"What happened?" Ruby asked her old friend.

"We were ambushed." Vid said. "We saw the first attack coming from the front, but it was just a ploy while he hit us from behind. I've never seen someone move like that before. He took down all six of us. Granted, Nora wasn't able to fight much but…"

"Are they awake?" Ruby asked.

"No, and they need their rest." Vid answered. "We tried to make a run for it but he caught up, knocked me off the carriage. When I caught up well…" Vid sighed. "Nora and Aran were unconscious while Ren and Coal were at the bottom of the cliff. All things considered, I got lucky. Nora's going to be fine, the baby too. Ren is going to be fine and back on his feet by tomorrow…so the doctor says. Aran is in intensive care and Coal is in a coma."

"That's terrible." Ruby said. She turned to Yang. "Explain."

Yang sat Ruby and Jaune down and told them everything she knew. Flynt, as well as the Arbiters were working on tracking them down. But their leader was still an enigma. The Arbiters had agents all over looking for him. The only thing they could find was a description of the armor he wore and a codename, Vile.

"Cipher huh?" Qrow's voice said from the end of the hallway.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby beamed.

"Ruby!" Tai said from behind Qrow. "Is that my grandbaby I see?" He walked over and took Citrine from Yang's hand. "Hello Citrine." Citrine answered with a burp. Ruby had to once again explain who Helios and Eos were to her father and uncle.

"Wait, you never told me your uncle was the headmaster." Helios said.

"Yeah, I have a pretty awesome life." Ruby messed Helios' hair.

"So, my sister is going after Cipher again." Qrow said as he drank from his flask. "And now Cipher's coming for us?"

"We don't know what they want." Yang said. "We found out that the guy in charge now took power about five years ago."

"Likely used the chaos of the war to seize control." Qrow suggested. "Still, I don't get it. They've never been a group for offense before."

"Under new management." Blake said. "I uh…I know how that goes."

"True." Qrow said. He walked over to a window.

"Anyway, I'm going to go on in and check on them." Jaune said.

"I'll be in there in a minute." Ruby responded. He walked into the room and saw Ren and Nora both sleeping in their hospital gowns. Jaune sat between them, they looked so peaceful in their daze. He thought back to all the times he's been in this situation with them. The worse was after the fall of Beacon, they both had broken ribs from fighting a paladin. But that instance was made so much worse by the revelation that Pyrrha hadn't made it out of the tower.

"Jaune?" Nora said as she came to.

"Hey Nora." Jaune said and Ruby walked in.

"Oh, you're awake." Ruby said.

"I'm glad you're okay." Jaune said.

"I'm just glad we're all okay." Nora said. She looked as though she was trying to remember something. "Oh, Ruby…" She said.

"What is it."

"The guy who attacked us he…" Nora was cut off by Ruby's scroll ringing. Nora's face twisted in worry. Ruby looked at her scroll and looked like she saw a ghost.

"Who is it?" Jaune said. She held up her scroll.

"It's Nora."

"He took my scroll." Nora said. Ruby looked to Jaune and he nodded.

"Guys get in here!" She said. Jaune stood behind her as she answered her scroll.

"Finally you answer!" The armored man said. He looked to be walking around a tunnel.

"Vile." Ruby said.

"Good, so you got my alias, then we can begin. I see you made it to the hospital. I trust Nora and Ren are recovering quite nicely."

"No thanks to you, you sociopath."

"Ooh, scathing." Vile said sarcastically. "I see Jaune is with you too. I expected as much."

"What do you want?" Jaune said. "Why are you doing this?"

"Questions, questions, you know, it wasn't until your little speech that I understood what I was supposed to do with my life. That's a long time of being aimless." Vile directed himself to Ruby.

"What do you want?" Ruby said with her patience at an end. Yang walked in but stayed quiet, clearly just listening in.

"As I told the little lightning rod, I want to teach a lesson to the world." Vile shook his head. "And I need you to do that."

"If you wanted help, attacking my friends isn't the way to ask." Vile laughed.

"Ruby Rose, you changed the world, there's no taking that away from you." Vile took a pause. "But you forgot the most important lesson of your life. Heroes…die."

"Sacrifice is a virtue." Ruby responded.

"What about a pitiful death? Like your old classmate…what was his name? Russel Thrush…killed that little bastard is what I did. Guy was weak and not worth my time. And I…DO NOT…like having my time wasted."

"Sounds like that was your fault." Jaune retorted. In truth, he had heard about Russel's murder a few days ago. He was never close to him, but he had spent more time than he cared to admit with team CRDL back at Beacon.

"True, my mistake for thinking he'd be a good warm up." Vile admitted. "Too bad I couldn't be there to do the same to your friends in Atlas."

"What?" Ruby's eyes went wide.

"Yeah, yesterday while I was using your old RNJR buddies as punching bags, my partner was doing the same with the robot and the heiress."

"I swear if you hurt Weiss OR Penny…"

"You'll do what? Come for me? A lot better people than you have tried."

"I'll tear the world asunder to find you."

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, they'll live…well…Penny is going to take a while but she's been through worse. Isn't that right Jaune?"

"Are you going somewhere with this?" Jaune said.

"All of you have been enjoying this peace so much that you fail to realize what hope does to some people. Hope is good and all, but when kept unchecked…well…that's how Mountain Glenn happened."

"Mountain Glenn was a bad idea from the start." Jaune said.

"And places like Dragna aren't?" Vile suggested. "Someone has to remind you all what the real world is like. Someone has to remind you just how powerful despair can be. And I'M going to be the one to do it! Ruby Rose, YOU are my mission, YOU are the reason I'm doing all this. I'm going to remind you that all your pretty words and good deeds, all the hope you've brought to the world is a lie!"

"Then take it out on me and leave my friends out of it!" Ruby shouted back at him.

"I'm going to…of course I'll need to distract them when the time comes. Soon it'll just be you and me and when you lay with blood on your face at my feet, I'm going to look into your eyes, I'm going to know that I'm the one who beat you, and then…I'll put you out of your misery."

Vile hung up. Ruby tried redialing the number but there was no answer. She looked to Jaune and Yang. Jaune was the first to embrace her. She sunk her face into his shoulder and squeezed him tight. Yang put a hand on her shoulder.

"He'll die trying." Yang said. "What was that about Atlas?"

"I don't know." Ruby said. "I'm going to call Weiss."

"I'm going to call my mom." Yang said. "We know it's you he's after now, we can plan around that." Yang stepped out into the hallway to call her mom. Ruby dialed Weiss' number.

"Hello?" Weiss said.

"Weiss, you're okay?" Ruby sighed in relief.

"Why…Ruby…what happened?"

"Some crazy guy named Vile attacked Ren and Nora, called me from Nora's phone, and just challenged me."

"What? Are they okay?"

"Yeah, we're with them now. He said he attacked you."

"He…well, his men stole some hardware from my company. Penny and I happened to be there." Weiss said. "Penny will be fine by the way. Rubrum says it's nowhere near as bad as when she fought Pyrrha. I'm clearing my schedule. Rubrum and I will be in Vale in a few days I…I have a lot to tell you…take care." She hung up.

Ruby basically collapsed into Jaune's arms in relief and worry all colliding at once. He held her there for a moment comforting her. He brushed a piece of hair from her face and kissed it.

"We'll figure this out." Jaune said. "We always do."

"Jaune…I'm going to stay here with my uncle until things calm down." She said. "Take Citrine back to Patch…take my dad and the kids with you…I want to make sure you're all safe."

"Your dad and I can handle ourselves." Jaune said.

"That's what I'm counting on." She said as she kissed his lips. "I love you Jaune."

"I love you too."

 **AN: I'm getting chills. The next three chapters will be much more character centric, with little to no action and a bit more humor before things start kicking off again. So, Vile's big challenge monologue, kind of an inverse of Ruby's big speech from RWBYond Vale, kind of anyway. Next Time: Rose/Arc/Branwen/Xiao Long family gets some time to hang out. Be sure to review, follow, favorite and stay classy.**


	8. Family Night

RWBYond War

 **AN: Pretty laid back chapter this time. It's mostly just various characters having dinner together and having a good time despite the looming threat. These characters (save for Citrine), have been through a lot and even though I had a whole story of them just winding down, it's still good to see it here.**

Chapter 8: Family Night

Yang arrived to the restaurant fashionably late. She didn't have any real excuse sense she had access to the Black Gate, but she also didn't want to wait on anybody. So she wasn't surprised to see that she was the last to arrive. Ruby sat next to Jaune, with Citrine sitting in her stroller between them. Helios sat next to Ruby, and Eos sat next to him. Qrow was next to Jaune and Tai was next to Eos, talking about something that happened when Ruby and Yang were growing up, she was sure.

"Yang, what took you so long?" Ruby said.

"Oh you know how it is." Yang took a seat between her father and uncle. "Been a while since I've been in Vale so I had to check up on old friends."

"What friends?" Qrow said. "I thought you cut all your other ties when you joined the Arbiters."

"Come on Uncle Qrow, you know the Arbiters don't work the same way they used to. If they did, I doubt I would have joined." She got up for a second to stand over Citrine, who gave to cutest smile at her aunt. "And I couldn't bare the thought of not being able to coddle and spoil this beautiful brat." She scooped Citrine up and gave a big smooch to her face, earning a challenging look from Ruby.

"So what are the Arbiters?" Helios asked.

"It's my team, we're sort of huntsmen, but we go by different rules. We work internationally but also defend the kingdom of Dragna."

"Dragna, being the smallest kingdom and the youngest standing." Qrow said.

"But, it is possibly the oldest founded, it just went a few hundred years of being uninhabited until the Grimm War." Yang amended.

"Now despite being on one of the largest land masses, it only has two or three villages plus the capital of Dragna City." Qrow said.

"Uh hello, you're the one who first taught me geography. Sanus is the largest continent in the world, Vale spans two-thirds of it, yet the actual area used is only slightly bigger than Dragna, which is collected on the southern coast." Yang added as she carried Citrine with her to her seat.

"Look at you fire cracker, getting all smart and such." Qrow took a drink from his flask. "Leave it to my sister to give you a crash course in history. She would know more than anyone."

"If that's a crack about her sharing a body with Avarice, may I remind you that that only lasted less than a day."

"She may have shared a body with that thing for a day but she stood by its side for twenty years and is still doing its work."

" _It,_ saved my life." Yang fumed.

"Can we please not talk about Avarice?" Tai groaned. They took a pause while they ordered their food. "So Jaune, how are things at Signal?"

"They're going really good." Jaune said. "We've got quite a few Beacon hopefuls this year, and even one that wants to go to Shade."

"That's wonderful." Tai said. "I look forward to meeting them."

"How many?" Qrow said.

"Five or six, depending on if Nylon wants to go all the way to Vacuo." Jaune answered.

"That's more than ever coming from Signal." Qrow noted.

"I don't get it." Helios said. "Where else would they go if not one of the Huntsmen Academies?"

"Most people go to combat school, but only a few of them actually go on to be huntsmen." Tai answered.

"The others just use it to defend against Grimm in their everyday lives." Yang answered.

"That's weird." Helios said.

"That's how it's always been." Ruby chimed in.

"Grimm activity may have been down these last four years, but they won't stay down forever." Jaune said.

"And when they do start to spike back up, it's important to be ready." Qrow said. "Wouldn't want another Mountain Glenn incident."

"No I get that." Helios sighed. "I know what the Grimm are capable of."

"I, I didn't know." Yang said.

"It's alright." Eos said. "Helios remembers it better than I do."

"You were Citrine's age." Helios said. "What I don't understand is, why not become huntsmen. Even if they don't end up being good ones, or do anything with it, wouldn't that still make the world safer?"

"Yeah." Eos said. "Don't they ever dream of being a hero?"

"It's not that simple." Qrow said.

"Why can't it be?" Ruby interrupted. "Do the two of you want to be huntsmen?"

"I think it would be awesome." Eos said.

"I…" Helios took pause. "I want to be able to fight. I don't want to be the person who sits helplessly as someone else rushes in to save him."

"That's pretty ambitious." Tai said. "What are you, like eight."

"I was younger than him when I wanted to be a huntress." Ruby said.

"Yeah, but you were more like Eos." Qrow said. "You just wanted to be like your mother and father."

"And you." Tai said. "She always looked up to you more than me." Yang nodded.

"Don't start that again." Qrow said.

"Yeah, please don't." Ruby said. "I'll admit, I did love spending time with you Uncle Qrow than pretty much anyone, even you Dad."

"All the love and joy without the day to day responsibility." Yang said. "I get that." Yang said. "I'm going to spoil and train Citrine the exact same way."

"You will do no such thing." In the blink of an eye Ruby took Citrine from Yang's hand. "Citrine is going to be just like her mommy, strong determined and kind."

"Like I'm not any of those things."

"You'd just be a bad influence."

"Pot calling the kettle black." Yang said as she gestured to Qrow.

"Yeah and if not for Mom, I wouldn't know how I ended up so good with all of you around me."

"Let's not get crazy." Jaune said as he turned away.

"What, you got something to say?" Ruby gave him the look.

"Well I think you turned out great." Jaune recovered. "I think you did pick up some…lovely habits and traits from your family."

"You hesitated." Ruby noted.

"I'm just going to shut my mouth.

"No by all means, dig yourself a hole." Ruby joked.

"Last time I dug myself a hole you kicked me into it and laughed." Jaune said.

"The hole was only a few inches deep. I couldn't resist smacking your butt when it was sticking up in the air like that."

"See that's what I get for trying to make you a flower garden."

"It turned out very well anyway." She winked at him causing him to blush. Yang held back a laugh. How, after three years of marriage could they still be in the awkwardly romantic phase of their relationship? They had obviously done enough to pop a kid out. Maybe it was because kids and parental figures were around that they were…

"Sounds like the two of you really beat around the Rose bush." Yang grinned. Ruby went bright red, Jaune groaned, Qrow about spat his drink out, Helios and Eos looked confused at their reactions, Tai gave her a death glare, as if he didn't know.

"Spare me the thought." Tai said.

"Babies don't make themselves." Yang chimed. "You'll know when you're older." Yang said towards Helios and Eos, who still looked confused. Finally, their food got there and the conversation slowed as they chowed down.

"So wait…" Helios said. "If you two are sisters, why don't you look anything alike or have the same last name." Yang sighed as she explained the situation to them. Tai filled in any holes that she passed up.

"That's funny." Eos said. "Because he…" she pointed to Jaune. "looks more like him…" she pointed to Tai, "than any of you do."

"I take a lot after my mother." Yang said. "Ruby even more so." Yang's lilac locked with Ruby's silver. "But if my mom was here, you'd see a lot of similarities between her and Qrow." Qrow nodded.

"It happens when you are twins." He said.

"And your mom is the headmistress of Arbiter Academy in Dragna?" Helios said.

"Yep." Yang answered.

"And yours is dead and has that memorial on the cliff." Helios said and Ruby confirmed with a nod.

"What about your parents?" Eos asked Jaune.

"They live a little north of here." Jaune answered. "I actually have seven sisters but it's easy to tell us all apart."

"My parents died about eight years ago." Tai said. "They lived further to the south."

"I grew up a little north of here too. My mom died when I was little and my father died during the Faunas War over twenty years ago." Qrow said. Yang shuddered, remembering when she encountered the deadeye version of grandpa Craven.

"So, something that's been on my mind..." Tai said. "What are you going to do about Cipher."

"I am going to find him and bring him in." Ruby said. "He's got an informant in Vale, he let that much slip. I'm going to find out who he is and find him."

"Then what?" Qrow cut in. "You're not exactly one for interrogation.

"Well, I'll leave that part up to one of you then." Ruby said.

"Ruby…" Yang cut in. "Don't do this alone."

"I'm not." Ruby said.

"I know that look in your eye. I know you're sending Jaune and the kids away. The last time you had that look, the look you had when Vile challenged you, it was the look you had when you used yourself as bait for the Grimoire."

"Yeah and not only did it work, but there's no way this guy is as powerful as King. I doubt he's even on par with Cinder."

"That's not the point." Yang said. "We don't know what this guy can do. We only won Crete because we had an army and knew what we were up against. We know nothing about this guy, his plans, or his motives. We just know he's coming after you and that scares me."

"I can handle myself Yang. We've been through this a hundred times, I thought you understood."

"This isn't like that time with Adam though."

"They both believe that peace is a lie." Ruby said. "He may not fight like Adam, he may even be stronger, but he's still just a guy. I am the Spring Maiden and the last…" She looked down at Citrine who had started crying as her mother raised her voice. "Was the last of the Argentware."

"Calm down, it's okay." Jaune shushed to Citrine.

"Jaune back me up on this." Ruby said.

"Believe me…" Jaune said. "I don't think there's anyone who can take you on alone."

"See?" Ruby said.

"But this guy obviously knows what he's doing. He's got friends, you heard what Weiss said. He's also planning a distraction, most likely Grimm. We need to take him down and you all need to work together to do it."

"What about you?" Yang said.

"I can't. Someone has to look after the kids while all this is going down. I can't fight anywhere near as good as I once could. But I'm still the best shield in all of Remnant. My semblance is still strong enough to even redirect skull-rounds."

"That's an oddly specific comparison." Qrow said.

"I've had to do it more than once." Jaune sighed. Yang knew about his encounter with Choco Russo, how the Black Knight captain used skull-rounds and Jaune's, still fledgling, semblance redirected them.

"I think I understand." Ruby said. "I won't go alone. Just in case this guy does have some secret weapon with my name on it." Her eyes widened in revelation. "Weiss said she's coming in a few days. That means Team RWBY will be back together. It'll be like old times."

"God, I hope not." Qrow said.

"You're just mad because we're the coolest team ever, even cooler than STRQ." Ruby crossed her arms.

"Team JNPR." Jaune coughed.

"Could be, except Team RWBY never technically graduated Beacon." Qrow chided.

"Well when you save the entire world from an apocalyptically powerful Grimm, you get a free pass." Yang said. "So, tomorrow night Blake and I will find this worm you were talking about and get some answers."

"You can get him to talk?" Jaune said.

"I'll get him to sing." Yang said.

"I'll hang around Patch with Jaune." Tai said. "If this guy wants you, that is literally the first place he'll look."

"We'll let Daisy know what's up just in case something happens." Jaune said.

"It'll be good to be back." Tai said. "Oh, should I bring Zwei or do you want him with you Ruby?"

"Take him." Ruby said. "He'll love Helios and Eos." She said.

"Who's Zwei?" Helios asked.

"Our dog." Yang said.

"Ahhh, a puppy?" Eos swooned.

"No, he's an old corgi we've had since we were kids." Yang said. "But I guess he's more your dog Dad, even though you got him for me."

"Hey you could have him if you ever got a house." Tai chided.

"I don't need a house." Yang crossed her arms. "I have a perfectly good bed back at Arbiter Academy, wonderful friends in all the kingdoms, and plenty of lien to afford any hotel I want when I'm on missions." She huffed. "Speaking of which, can Blake and I stay the night?" She asked.

"I thought this was a mission." Tai said.

"Well, we could stay at a hotel room, but why would I do that when I have such a cool dad?"

"I was actually hoping we could stay." Ruby said gesturing to her family and the orphans. "I'll house sit for you while you're on Patch."

"I only have one bedroom." Tai said.

"You can all stay at Beacon." Qrow said. "Hell, you can even sleep in your old room."

"That would be awesome!" Ruby said.

"My house will be fine so long as Zwei is with me." Tai said. "I'll give you the key and you can raid my fridge and pantry. Just one of you better pay me back."

"Can do." Yang said with a salute.

"So then, we should probably get going." Ruby said. "We'll all crash at Beacon tonight. Helios, Eos, are you fine sharing a room with Yang and Blake?"

"We've done a lot worse." Helios said.

"Citrine can stay with you tonight." Ruby said towards Tai. "I know you don't get to spend anywhere near as much time with her as you want to. This could be a good bonding time with her."

"I know most of you never got to meet your grandparents." Jaune said. "I was lucky to grow up around mine and I loved it. I'm so glad we live in a world now where Citrine can know at least most of her grandparents."

"So what about you two?" Yang asked knowingly.

"We'll crash in Team JNPR's old room right across the hallway." Ruby said.

"Wait, then shouldn't Helios and Eos…" Jaune started but Ruby elbowed him and gave him a look. "Oh, I guess it would be nice to get some privacy with Citrine away." He scratched his head.

"Just don't stay up too late." Yang said in a sing song voice. Qrow covered their check as they all got up and went to their respective rooms. Although, Yang had to make a quick call to Blake and deliver the game plan and sleeping arrangements.

 **AN: Like I said, laid back chapter. Some plot progression, a lot of call backs to RWBYond Vale, particularly the Deadeye invasion part. Some more adult themes and such. Also, some callbacks to what we've found out in the recent World of Remnant videos. Next Time: Blake and Yang are on the hunt. Please review, follow, favorite and stay classy.**


	9. Hunter of Hunters

RWBYond War

 **AN: By the time you read this, volume 4 has started for RT First members, like myself. It is midnight exactly as I write this opening note, approximately 10 hours away from the premiere. This is another fun little chapter, and one where I'm not sure where to draw the line in the beginning. I've went by PG-13 rules thus far, and don't want to break from it, but I also want to be a little descriptive with Blake and Ruby's conversation at the beginning.**

Chapter 9: Hunter of Hunters

Blake never knew what a peaceful night's sleep was like. Adam snored, Sun snored and Yang snored more than them, and she had rarely slept without one of them nearby. What few nights she had were plagued with nightmares. It was comforting really; the coarse sound of her friends' snoring had turned into a lullaby for her. But alas, her circadian rhythm woke her up way earlier than the rest of them.

She made sure she was descent enough to step out into the hall. She threw on her pants and belly-exposing top. Next, she tied her hair back into her bow. She grabbed the book she had been reading, "Journey to the Center of the Heart" along with her candle so she could read without disturbing any of her current roommates.

It also felt strange, nostalgic, and exciting to be sleeping in her old bed at Beacon again. She hadn't slept in this room since shortly after they cleared the campus of Grimm, and that had been halfway through the war.

When she sat down to read, she noticed that the room across seemed a bit more active. Blake blushed as she realized what they were doing. Though a part of her believed that they were probably doing something innocent, she knew better, even if it was still hard to believe that Ruby WAS a mother now.

Blake felt a little embarrassed at her dilemma. Luckily, she didn't have to as Ruby stepped out of the room practically glowing in nothing but a spaghetti strap shirt and underwear. Ruby was quite the cutie, but her attire, complete with cartoony Grimm on her underwear and Space Kid on her shirt, juxtaposed greatly with what Blake knew she was doing.

"Gah, Blake, what are you doing up?" Ruby said.

"This is actually when I usually wake up." Blake answered. "Better question is why are you up?" She asked.

"Oh umm…" Ruby's face went bright red.

"Come on, you're a big girl, you can say it." Blake said.

"Well, you know so…crap,... I... could you hear us?" Her face tightened.

"Only from the hallway."

"I'm sorry that must have been embarrassing. It's just been a while since we've properly had a room to ourselves while both in the mood and morning times are the best."

"It's okay really." Blake said. "I was actually wondering why you left the room."

"Oh, a little dehydrated." Ruby blushed.

"You or him?"

"Both…I think. He said he was alright. I was going to get him something anyway." She peeked into the door. "Hey Jaune, I'm going to get the water and then talk with Blake, K?"

"Ok." He whispered back. After a minute, Ruby was back and after delivering Jaune his water she took a seat next to Blake.

"Isn't he dreamy?" Ruby said.

"I wouldn't know." Blake said.

"Come on, I know looks wise, Jaune isn't too far off from your type. I can say I think Sun is handsome."

"Yeah but you've at least seen Sun with his shirt off."

"Yeah, me and the rest of the known world. Wait, you've never seen Jaune without a shirt?"

"Nope."

"Not even when we went to the beech?"

"He wore SCUBA gear remember?"

"That one time he did but the other time…"

"I didn't go. I don't really like the beech so I'd skip out."

"That's so weird." Ruby said. "How is Sun anyway?"

"He's the same…mostly, he has mellowed a bit."

"Marriage will do that to you, change people that is."

"You never changed much."

"Maybe not for you but behind closed doors…" Ruby covered her mouth.

"It's okay Ruby. If you want to tell or brag to someone, it might as well be me."

"But when Yang does it…"

"We're usually in public." Blake said. Ruby yawned.

"Hmm…never thought that public eyes would be the thing to turn you off." She yawned again. "Remember when I found "Ninjas of Love" under your pillow."

"You mean when you, read it, confiscated it, chastised me, hit me with it, then proceeded to ge your own use out of it."

"Hey, I just liked the pictures."

"No need to lie Ruby. I know you were probably still discovering how your body worked, it's okay to admit it."

"Whatever." She sighed. "So, when are you going to have kids?"

"I…I don't think I want any." Blake said. "And I'm not having that conversation with you. You're a great mom, and I can see you love it, but I'm different." That seemed to satisfy Ruby a bit.

"Alright, your loss." She stood up. "I'm going back to bed. Hey, when this is all over, want to spend some time at my house. I miss talking with you. I feel like we hardly talk."

"We hardly ever did really." Blake said. "I always felt like I was the furthest from you out of our friends." Blake stood up and met her. "But you were, are, an excellent leader. I…I'm actually jealous. Not of your life, or house, or husband or power. But you, more than anyone else, gave me light when I didn't have any. Yang too, but she had her own darkness as well. You on the other hand, I wish I could be more like you."

"You're fine the way you are." Ruby nodded. "Just keep striving to be better." She wrapped her arms around Blake. "Good night Blake." She said. She broke the hug and slipped in through the door before shutting it.

Later that night, Blake and Yang rode on Yang's motorcycle to reach Junior Xiong's club. They were looking for Allister Briggs. They had been on it all night and were so close, a friend of Yang's said he would be at the club tonight. If this Briggs guy was anything like his Salem equivalent, Edwin Glas, he probably would recognize them right away.

So when they got there, Blake went to the back door and waited while Yang waltzed right in. Blake's patience payed off as Briggs slipped through the back and right into her claws. She grabbed the short, thin man by the collar and slammed him into the wall.

"Vile, Cipher, where is he?"

"Oh crap baskets." He said. "As if I'd tell you."

"Talk or I'll make you pay."

"With what?" Briggs asked.

Yang came from the door, ripped him from Blake's arms and punched him into a Black Gate and followed after him. They reappeared on a nearby rooftop. It took Blake a minute to catch back up. That's one way to do things. Yang had him hanging upside down from a fatal drop.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know, just that he's in Mistral somewhere." Briggs cried out.

"What did he want with that stuff he stole from Weiss?"

"Schnee? I don't know, I don't make the plans I just provide intel."

"You're the one that followed Ruby to the hospital, aren't you?"

"That wasn't me. But the one who dis, does work directly for me."

"One more question, who is he?"

"I don't know, honest. He's always worn the mask, for as long as I've known him, which has been seven years."

"You can at least describe him." Yang shook him.

"No I can't. I've never seen his face." Briggs said. "The last commander kept it under wraps."

"He's got to have friends." Yang's eyes were red now.

"Not this guy. He's got no one. Not that I know of anyway. He trusts no one and

"It's gotten me far enough."

"Hopens to no one.

"Okay, next question."

"But you said one more!"

"That was before you gave me answers I didn't like." Yang reasoned. "What are you guys planning?"

"I…" Briggs took pause. "Whatever you're going to do to me for not talking you might as well do now." He said. "I'm not talking." Yang dropped him. She then fired a Black Gate to catch him and send him back to her waiting hand as she slammed him down.

"Talk or I'll break every bone in your body."

"You can intimidate me all you want but it won't get you anywhere." Briggs said.

"It's gotten me far enough."

"Really, and what do you know now that you didn't just a few minutes earlier?"

"God help you, you better give me something to go on." Yang growled.

"You Arbiters think you're so tough. Tell me…are you just trying to impress Ra-ahhhh!" He screamed as Yang unloaded a bone shattering punch to Briggs' arm.

"Tell me what I want to know and I'll consider sparing the other one."

"Just talk." Blake said. She was getting uncomfortable with Yang's ruthless action. "Vile is hunting heroes, we know that much. Why is he doing it? Why now?"

"What did you think was going to happen?" Briggs cursed as he rolled to his knees. "You tore down every pillar that had held up Remnant for thousands of years. Ozpin, Salem, Avarice, King, all gone. That created a massive vacuum of power the likes of which have never been seen. Sure, Raven and the other headmasters took over the void left by Ozpin and Avarice. The Grimm have yet to have something to fill King's void and likely won't for a long time. But Salem…this is all because you left her criminal empire in ruin and started keeping it in check by locking away its remnants."

"Last we checked Cipher wasn't affiliated with Salem."

"We're opportunists. We saw all those resources and took as much as we could for ourselves. You'll see." Allister said. "But now I take my leave." His shadow danced around and hit Yang's and Blake's. He opened a Black Gate and fell through it. As soon as the portal dissipated, the paralysis was released.

"Shadow paralysis." Yang said. "God Damn it." Her hair went white for a split second.

"We know that whatever Cipher has they got from Salem." Blake said. "That's more than I was expecting to get from a guy like him in one night." Blake started walking away before stopping. "Are you trying to impress Raven?"

"The hell kind of question is that?"

"It's just, you've always been hotheaded but what I just saw was ruthless. Please, I lost one friend to the darkness, I don't want to lose…" Yang interrupted her with a hug.

"I get angry a lot, but stuff like the arm gets results. I've gotten really talented at beating up people in just the right way without doing permanent damage."

"Okay." Blake said. "I believe you." She felt a squeeze on her rear. "Did you just touch my butt?"

"Maybe." Yang broke the hug. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"Wouldn't be the only thing I've mine you've grabbed either." Blake rolled her eyes.

"Oh you know you love it." Yang said.

"Unless your name is Sun Wukong, you are not allowed to cup a feel."

"Yeah, yeah, just messing with you anyway."

"I know. That's one of the things I love about you." Blake said with a sigh. "We should tell Ruby what we found out."

"Sure thing." Yang sent Ruby a brief message about what they found out. Ruby responded with a short message of her own.

"If that's the case…" Ruby's message started. "Than the best person to talk to would be Cinder."

"Are you crazy?" Yang messaged back.

"Trust me, she'll talk to me. I'm calling Kurome and having her meet me up there tomorrow. Stay safe." Ruby's next message said. Yang tried calling her to no avail.

"She'll be fine."

"Easy for you to say." Yang said. "You've only known her as a badass and most powerful huntress of Remnant. I still have a hard time seeing anyone other than that hopeless dork she was as a kid."

 **AN: I think I did good. Some more character stuff, furthering of the plot, introducing an element or two and the closest thing characters get to blatantly talking about their sex lives. Next Time: Ruby returns to the Isle of Storms. Be sure to review.**


	10. Paving the World

RWBYond War

 **AN: That volume 4 hype though! So, here's what I'm going to do, any lore elements or characters will be worked into, a different story, namely RWBYond Generations coming next year. I may work some stuff into this story, but since by the time this story ends we'll be less than a quarter of the way through the volume, so that won't be possible, really.**

Chapter 10: Paving the World

Ruby stepped out of the Black Gate onto Isle of Storms. The second she touched down she felt it, nostalgia. She had come here a handful of times over the last few years and every time, the memories just flooded back. Slamming her hands to the ground against Vanilla Sly and accidentally summoning branches that broke the mercenary's legs. All the horrific monsters in Brig 3. The hell Tobi put Akagi through on her video journals. Confirmation that her favorite story, "The Hunter and the Goddess of Spring," was a reality. Tapping into the power of Spring. Battling Akagi to the death at the island's altar. The sickening crunch as Crescent Rose embedded itself into Akagi's chest and Akagi's sword pierced her stomach.

It was so different now. During the war, the Arbiters of Truth held domain on this island. Rubrum Snappes had made the control tower into a replacement CCT. Avarice constructed his own little fortress just in case Salem ever took the fight to him. Now it was also used as a prison to hold the worst war criminals alive. They were all here, Baldur, Adam, Tobi and Cinder.

"It's about time you got here." Kurome said her greeting. The girl was the same age as Ruby and showed it. Her hair was no longer in the twin pony tails it had been in during her youth. Now, it was kept short, just above her shoulder line. She still wore all black with a loose red tie.

"Sorry, I guess I stayed up too late the last two nights." Ruby and her started walking to what used to be a large dust deposit, the largest in Mistral's regions. Then it was just a pit. Now, it contained a massive super prison.

"Yang told me what's going on." Kurome said. "So this Cipher group is gunning for you huh?"

"It seems that way."

"I remember when I wanted that same thing."

"You were young and filled with so much sadness."

"You were too." Kurome said. "Yang's told me all about your mom, how she was everything to you."

"I still had Yang, my dad and Uncle Qrow. Akagi was the only family you had…you must hate it here."

"I do, but I do find enjoyment." She clapped her hands together to create strings between her fingers. "Watching Tobi squirm certainly helps me sleep at night…Is that why you come here and talk to Cinder?"

"I guess." Ruby said. "I think, no, I know Cinder wanted to lead the world to a brighter tomorrow and considering the screwed-up stuff she went through I don't blame her. Just like I don't blame you or Akagi for trying to kill me."

"But I learned my lesson."

"You only learned it because of how powerless you felt. Your superior was Tobi, who manipulated you and killed your mother just to push Akagi further. Cinder answered directly to Salem, who I do believe loved and cared for her. It would be like if your mother never died and she begged you to stay loyal to Tobi and Salem, you probably wouldn't have been so quick to jump ship."

"We'll never know." They arrived in the main cell block. Ruby reached Cinder's glass cage. Kurome kept going towards Tobi's. Ruby admired the craftsmanship, the level of effort that went into containing, what was most likely, the most powerful being in Remnant.

"Hello Little Red." Cinder said sweetly. She stood from her bed looking as immaculate as one could in an orange jump suit. She had cut her hair short once again. Last time Ruby was here, Cinder explained how she used to keep her hair short as a child. Now it was just easier to manage with the limited faculties and shower time she was given.

"Hello Cinder." Ruby smiled.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Cinder pulled up her solitary chair and sat in front of the glass. One of the circles making the dust based glyph that suppressed her maiden powers framed her face perfectly.

"Cipher." Ruby sat in a chair of her own. This place gave her an odd feeling. This close to the glyph, she felt her own maiden powers dwindling into nothing. She could really, just be a normal huntress here, or at least a normal Argentware.

"So they've made their move?" Cinder said.

"They challenged me. Or at least their leader did." Ruby sighed. "We caught Allister Briggs, but he escaped." Ruby then explained what she knew about Cipher.

"I don't know anything about him." Cinder lamented. "I did have a run in with them as a child. I didn't know what the group was called until recently when Briggs taunted me about it. Salem told me that I shouldn't concern myself with irrelevant matters. They weren't allies and they weren't enemies."

"They're using remnants from Salem's organization." Ruby said.

"Could just be dust resources and things like that. It was a war, we had many stockpiles and things like that. All of our co-conspirators were ratted out when your little engineer friend hacked our files here, I believe." Cinder gave a small laugh. "Just goes to show Edwin Glas, may he burn in hell for all eternity, wasn't as smart as he thought he was."

"You didn't get along with your allies, did you?"

"I got along jus fine with my team, Necros, Jervis and Baldur, Adam and Glas were even alright…Isn't that right Adam!" She called across the room.

Adam Taurus was in the cell across from Cinder and behind where Ruby sat now. He merely grunted in response as he continued meditating. Ruby wondered if she'd get anywhere trying to question him. He would probably talk to Blake, but Ruby wasn't about to put Blake through that.

"It was mostly Tobi that I hated for obvious reasons." Cinder continued. "I think they were all jealous, you know."

"How so?"

"I was never a pawn. I was always a power piece. Salem showed me a lot of favoritism. She oversaw much of my training directly. She was like a mother to me." A tear ran down Cinder's face. "I loved her like a child should love a mother and deep down, whether you believe it or not, I KNOW Salem loved me the same way." Cinder's hand moved to wipe the tears away.

"I'm sorry." Ruby's heart wanted to reach out to Cinder so badly.

"Don't be, you were just doing what you thought was right. I know Salem didn't hate you in the end and I know why. So, I can't hate you." Cinder's arms wrapped around her stomach. "I just miss her so damn much."

"I still haven't figured out why." Ruby said. "Why she died smiling that is."

"Search your heart, remember who and what you are, what you've done for the world, the answers are all there. It's something best revealed through reflection than lecture."

"I know it probably has something to do with how much better everything is now. But then, why did she try so hard to make me fail?"

"The answers are out there Ruby." Cinder assured. "One more thing about Cipher…they're keeping tabs on my team."

"What for?"

"I don't know but they've lorded that over me every time they've come here." Cinder sighed. "Emerald, Mercury, Neo, they have pictures, recordings, I've thanked them for showing me that my friends are still doing fine and living their lives. Though, if they are hunting you now, my friends might get caught in the crossfire."

"I'll keep an eye out." Ruby nodded.

"So, last time you came here you had just found out you were pregnant."

"I gave birth about a month ago to Citrine Rose."

"Argentware?"

"Yep. Jaune's doing well too if you were wondering."

"I wasn't." Cinder said. Ruby showed Cinder a picture of the infant Citrine. "I don't think I've ever seen you this happy."

"My personal life is something you've seldom seen. Every time I've seen you we've either battled or lamented."

"I saw you at Beacon, before I blew it to hell."

"Yeah, I guess you did. But I was still just an awkward teenager trying to make sense of things." Ruby gave a short laugh as she told Cinder stories about Citrine and the family she was building. Another tear formed in Cinder's eyes and these ones weren't so easily wiped away.

"The way you talk about her…I've never heard someone talk about anyone like that. I…I'm jealous…of your daughter and of you. Should I have ever had a child, I would probably raise them a bit more distantly, at least publicly. But privately, I'd like to think of myself as someone who would have slept in a bed with their child and coo them to sleep as I wrap my arms around them. But that wasn't something I thought much of."

"Hard to have a family when you don't give people a lot of love."

"I did enough physically to have a family. Especially when I was still wide-eyed in Haven Academy."

"I wish I could have met Erid."

"He was the only person I ever fell in love with. It's not like Emerald where I admired just how loyal and subservient she was to me. Or how Mercury talked to me like I was his best friend while showing me every ounce of respect he could."

"Which you deserved." Ruby noted. "You never dominated them. You never belittled them. Sure, you punished them or whatever you did to reinforce the pecking order. But you took them in and gave them everything they needed when they had nothing. They'd be crazy not to fall for you in some way after that, just like you did with Salem."

"That's who I modeled my behavior on." Cinder admitted. There was a pause between them. "I really hate it in here. Not the view or even the company. I just hate feeling so DAMN powerless all the time. I can't even take a shit without all eyes on me. There's no privacy, I feel weak and helpless and the only thing I have to relieve stress are my fingers." Cinder ranted. "I really envy you."

"You've said that before."

"Excuse me for saying this, but Jaune isn't my type…like at all…but after four years in here pretty much anyone looks good." Cinder winked at Ruby, causing the younger girl to blush. "I'm just screwing with you…I mean unless…. I'm not one to pass up a free handout."

"I think I should go now." Ruby stood. "It was nice talking to you Cinder."

"Don't be a stranger." Cinder said.

Ruby would have hope for the Fall Maiden but she knew better. Cinder would come after her for no other reason than to even the score. Cinder still wanted more than just change, she still desired to be on top with the world squirming beneath her.

Ruby didn't go far. She looked at Adam in his cell. The former commander of the White Fang has been rotting in here just as long as Cinder. They were a package deal along with Shiro Abane so that the huntsmen would let Cinder's friends go.

"I take it you've got nothing to say." Ruby said.

"Get lost." Adam said.

"You DO know I can come in there and break every bone in your body. Even at full strength you couldn't even come close to challenging me."

"I also know that you won't. You're not the kind to break bones. And do not mistake your place. Just because you're a maiden doesn't automatically make you better than anyone, especially me."

"Hit me with your sword and I'll start to consider it. Actually, do damage without it breaking on my hand and I might believe you." Ruby taunted, reminding him of the one and only time they've fought. Adam didn't react to her words but she knew he was fuming powerlessly inside.

Kurome reached her, having had her fill of Tobi. They compared notes, Tobi had been silent on what Cipher wanted. But she did manage to sweet talk one of the guards to remember some of what he's overheard. Briggs wanted the files of Edwin Glas, and they were in Glas' childhood home…. back at Vale.

 **AN: I love Cinder so much. I love the way I've portrayed her and how well it's turned out. If you haven't, read my Cinder prequel, there's no mention of Cipher in there but you do get plenty of glimpses at how Cinder's life was and such. Next Time: Vile plays his next hand. Please review, follow and favorite.**


	11. Hand of Fate

RWBYond War

 **AN: Okay, I think I let the heels cool for long enough. Time to watch some bodies drop. It's time for Vile to play his next hand, the last set up before all hell breaks loose in the next few chapters. This is one I'm a little nervous about because of something that gets revealed and a character that gets introduced.**

Chapter 11: Hand of Fate

Cinder slipped her clean set of clothes on as she dried herself off. The shower was nifty, too bad all the guards were ogling her as they always did. At this point, she only showered once a week and usually late at night when she could get some semblance of privacy.

She laid in her bed, still thinking about Ruby's most recent visit. As she tossed and turned, her mind drifted to her friends and allies. She worried about them. It made her sick to her stomach to be locked in here powerless without being able to see her friends. Her mind drifted to Emerald and Mercury and Neo. She knew they were safe but for how long? This Cipher business had been eating at her for months now and with them targeting Ruby, it got worse overnight.

Cinder felt sick, literally sick. It had happened a few times the last few years. It was like she was allergic to being trapped. Now, she was also sick that her score, her reason for biting her time, was in danger. Her rival, her greatest adversary had been targeted and should she die…Cinder didn't know what she would do. She would probably be more actively trying to escape so that she could slaughter the bastards herself. Maybe that would fill this emptiness. Of course, she would try to fill it by beating Ruby senseless first. But she had to keep her options open.

She was stirred from her sleepless slumber by a loud mechanical noise. The alarms blared for a second before cutting out. The power followed afterwards followed by the emergency lights coming on. Cinder looked around to see if she could find out what was going on.

"Go for help!" A guard called.

"Is that a freaking giant drill?" The other guard said. He turned and ran before a pink energy bolt hit him in the back. The first guard threw down a dust crystal to create a rock wall for cover. Pink bolts impaled the wall, but the guard avoided them. The second guard got back up and kept heading towards where Cinder assumed the barracks were.

Then a boy with a denim jacket, jeans and a red beanie cut him off. His hands glowed with lava dust as he grabbed the guards by the face. The guard screamed in pain, his partner turned and fired a pistol at the intruder but the man used the guard as a shield and threw them into each other. He then dashed between them and slammed them into each other. He kicked one guard and punched the other, wrapping his arms around the guard's neck and snapping it. He pulled out a chain and swung it around the other guard's neck and strangled him to death.

"Phos, I've got this." He said.

"Oh really?" A woman walked into Cinder's sight. She had purple hair and eyes and wore a trench coat. "Since when can you do jack shit against these kinds of doors?"

"Just give me a minute." He said.

"Alright Ash." She said. "But if you throw off Vile's time table…don't say I didn't warn you."

"Oh come on, we're several minutes ahead of schedule. Terra is probably just now getting to the hospital." Ash defended.

"Who the hell are you guys?" Cinder cut in. She could see Adam getting up as the situation progressed.

"Hey…" Cinder's heart skipped several beats as Ash turned around. He looked, just like… "Mom." Cinder lost all feeling in her lungs. He had his differences, but he looked so much like her.

"What?" Cinder's throat clenched.

"I know it's strange but genetically I'm your son." Ash said. "My name is Ashford Fall. I was…I was actually born here."

"That BASTARD!" Cinder felt a new power well up inside her. If he was born here, then it made sense. Project AKAS. "TOBI!" She looked to her right to where Tobi stayed motionless in his cage.

"So, I guess it isn't all that strange?" Ash said.

"God Damn it Tobi you better start believing in God and praying to him because if I get out of here I'm going to rip your heart out!" Cinder cursed out loudly calling Tobi some of the worst obscenities in her vocabulary. "How old?" Cinder asked Ashford.

"I'm fourteen but I also went through some kind of age thing thanks to a certain semblance, so I'm physically seventeen."

"Fourteen? That sick freak! I was only thirteen?!"

"You're twenty-seven?" Ashford said. "Huh."

"Ashford!" A mechanical voice said.

"I warned you." Phos said.

"I told you to keep it short." The armored man said.

"Sorry Vile, but the guards took longer than expected. They had serious aura."

"Go and help Terra load up the dust now!" Vile barked.

"Vile?" Cinder said. "You have a lot of nerve…"

"So you're the illustrious Cinder Fall?" Vile said. "I'm not impressed…not disappointed either don't get me wrong, just perfectly whelmed."

"What do you want?" Cinder asked. Vile ignored her.

"Adam Taurus." Vile turned to him. "I have use for you." He gestured to Phos, who cut through the glass with three quick swings of a laser covered needle. "You once wanted revolution, I believe we are like minded."

"I heard you're gunning for Ruby." Adam said. Phos lasered his ankle chain to break it.

"That's only your concern by association." Vile said as he pulled out a mask. "I'm going to remind the world that heroes fall. For you, I have something a bit more enticing. Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long, I need them distracted so that I can deal with Ruby Rose."

"What of the others."

"I'll handle that. You handle what I tell you too."

"I don't take orders from…" Adam was cut off by Vile's hand moving like a blue blur into his throat. Adam doubled over coughing up blood. Vile then put his boot on Adam's head.

"I'm not asking you to take orders but if I was there wouldn't be a damn thing you could do about it. You've been a chained bull for four years now. All I'm doing is freeing you with the understanding that you hunt down and do what you will with two people you would focus on anyway." Vile picked Adam up on his feet. "Phos, we have one more."

Vile started motioning for someone to get closer. Two Atlesian Knights carried something on a rack. Cinder recognized it as one of Tobi's tree suits. Like the ones he would use to help his body recover when it was damaged. Phos blasted Tobi's cell door open and helped him inside the suit.

"Ahh." Tobi moaned. "Finally free."

"The suit is way stronger than the ones you used before." Vile gloated. "I'm quite proud of it."

"I can feel it." Tobi said as he flexed his hands and arms. "So, what was that about ripping my heart out?" Tobi moved to activate the glyphs on Cinder's walls but Vile put a gun to his head.

"Funny thing…I don't recall giving you instruction." Vile said.

"Go ahead and pull the trigger." Tobi said. "Even if it's a skull-round, all it would do is go through me, and her."

"I wonder about that. See, your semblance is pretty annoying. So, I made sure you can't use it while wearing that suit."

You're bluffing."

"Try me. I only freed you for your prestige. Make no mistake, you are a coward, a fool and a failure. But you're malleable and everyone knows who you are. I need that prestige to send the message I desire. I need your ability to command a large group while I'm busy fighting. I can just as easily hire someone like Vanilla Sly or even one of her cronies to do this." Vile said. "Congratulations, you're what you always wanted, useful but expendable."

"Very well." Tobi walked off. He, Phos and Adam walked out of Cinder's view.

"Impressive, aren't they?" Vile said. "The kids I mean, yours in particular."

"He might have been born from my DNA in some sick science experiment, but he's not my son."

"Can't fault you there." Vile said. "There were three of them. Tobi had them here in the pit from birth, waiting for them to be old enough to use on you one day. When the war was on the horizon, fate dropped Ozpin on his lap. He forced the wizard to use his semblance to age them up a few years so that they would be more useful. It didn't work so he abandoned them. Avarice found them and gave them a new home. I caught wind of them being transported to Vale, so I decided to give them a new lot in life."

"So you're just using them? How does that make you any better than Tobi?"

"Well first off, I never lose."

"You will if you go up against Ruby." That last sentence hung in the air like a virus as Vile growled.

"That's what everyone keeps saying but they're wrong." Vile finally spat out. He took out a piece of dust chalk and started making alterations to the glyphs. "I have nothing to prove to you. You are however, the reason why Ashford has joined me. He blames Ruby for your current predicament."

"He's not exactly wrong."

"And by extension, his own lack of a mother." Vile kept drawing. "I'm going to use him, just as Tobi planned. He feared that once Salem claimed godhood she would give you dominion over a corner of the world. He feared this, because he knew he wouldn't get such treatment. He feared that you would destroy him and Salem wouldn't care. So he was going to use your own flesh and blood as a shield against you. That's why he chose you."

"And the others?"

"They're a bit older. They were created from other promising huntresses of the time. I believe Terra Formar is biologically Glynda Goodwitch's child and Phos Ferris was made from Himawari Ferris of Atlas, both of which died during the Grimm War."

"I see." Cinder went wide eyed as she traced the alterations he was making to her cell. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Do you know why you were Salem's favorite? It's because you reminded her of herself. You reminded her of why she went so far to achieve her goals. You were the light of her life, HER Fall Maiden, and the one who would take her place should she die."

"I was under the impression that Salem and Ozpin reincarnated upon death. And at the end of the Grimm War they were both sealed into Oblivion."

"No one knows when or if they'll be able to return?" Vile stated. "It's unprecedented…but still…Qrow replaced Ozpin so why wouldn't you be able to replace Salem?"

"True." Cinder scowled. This was not good. Though she kept face, inside she was screaming. There was no possible situation worse than the one she was in now.

"I freed the others because they were pawns and power pieces. You on the other hand…" He finished his alterations. "You are strong willed. You would never be a partner." He put his hand to the glyph. "You'd be a rival."

The glyph activated. The contents of Cinder's stomach evacuated as she doubled over. Her ears rung. Her bowels emptied. Tears flooded her face as she screamed. Vile looked at her with those cold LED eyes. Cinder screamed until her throat dried out. She could barely breathe now. He whole body started convulsing violently. This was no longer a suppression glyph. It was a torture one.

"Damn…you." She choked out. Her eyes started whiting out from the pain. She squeezed her eyes shut and pushed forward with the negligible strength and control she could muster. It took everything just to push an inch.

"You desired power and now you are in the lowest conceivable position below me. This was already quite the impressive prison. I think I might sneak back sometimes to do this some more. Keep you alive for Ashford's sake and lord him over you the same way Briggs does with your pathetic little band."

"Shut…up." She could barely whisper now. This glyph was not made to be used like this. She had an idea and held onto it. If she could just reach the wall.

"And when I have no use for Ashford I'll get rid of him. Though, I don't know which one of you to kill first. Probably you sense he's obviously more invested in you than you are in him."

"Gah…" Cinder couldn't speak anymore but she was mere inches from her destination. She screamed a prayer in her head that this worked.

"Most of all, I want to let you know I'M the one who beat Ruby Rose where YOU failed. If I were to try to use or manipulate you, you would take that from me the first chance you get!"

Cinder put her hand to the wall. All it took was a tiny ounce of aura, which took all her strength to muster. The glyph went into a violent feedback loop and exploded. The glass shattered. Cinder felt relief, but the damage was done. Though, the power of Fall did slowly return to her.

Vile had been blasted into Adam's empty cell. Cinder just bid her time, warming her own power up as she tried to smash the collar that suppressed her aura. Vile stood up and looked at her. He also took his time to recompose.

"Impressive." He said.

"There's no one in this reality who knows more about glyphs than me." Cinder choked out. "You're a novice, someone who merely traces what others have shown him."

"Yeah, we're done here." Vile raised his arm, a blue, almost holographic, glyph appeared and blasted Cinder in the face. "I used to believe in you, you know. Fall, that is. Not the shriveled up human shell containing her power."

"I AM Fall."

"No you're not." He said. "You may still be a maiden but you've lost everything. You're nothing but a shell of your former self." He created a dark blue construct of a bow and shot her in the chest. Cinder fell backwards. All the traumas her body had gone through without having a measurable aura, took its toll as she started to black out. She heard gears shifting.

"I can't wait to see you beaten bloody by Ruby."

"You'll be disappointed." He gloated. Cinder could no longer see. "I'd be doing the world a favor by ending you right now! But…the world never did me favors so why the hell should I help it. You are dangerous though. I need to make sure you stay the hell out of my way."

Cinder felt a sharp pain hit her right shoulder. A weapon transformed into something that shot Cinder with a training-round to the face. She felt Vile's cold gauntlets close around her cheeks and a burning white light consumed her darkened vision. Then there was silence, and nothing.

 **AN: Cinder down, Fall is down. I know a lot of you are probably happy about that, but I'm actually saddened by it. Same goes for her condition in volume 4. I feel really bad for her, and will until a time (if any) comes where her backstory isn't as depressing as the one I cooked up for her. Next Time: Team RWBY is back together. Review, follow and favorite.**


	12. Reunion

RWBYond War

 **AN: Jeez I've been blowing up Team THRY with all the stuff from the volume premiere. Too bad that this story is going to end in just two more weeks. This, I believe is the last chapter to not have action in it. So, you know what that means.**

Chapter 12: Reunion

Weiss composed herself in her mirror. She had been having an eventful week. Now with the reports coming in from the Isle of Storms, things were getting more frantic. She needed to do what she could to help but… She shook the thought from her head. She was Weiss Schnee, one of the most powerful dust mages in all of Remnant. She knew more about the substance than anyone alive. She had near limitless resources. She had powerful friends and influence. She could take down these thugs with nothing more than a wave of her hand and a few phone calls.

Rubrum was with her, taking a break from slaving away at Penny's operating table. Penny was well on her way to recovering, but these things took time. By Rubrum's estimation it would be another month before she was combat ready.

When the airship landed in Beacon, Weiss felt the wind leave her body. She nearly fell over was all the emotions, fears, anxieties, doubts, that feeling of powerlessness. But she firmly grabbed the edges of the sink as she pressed down on it. This was not the time to fall. She was Weiss Schnee, Ruby Rose's best friend and partner. She had to do this. She had to be strong.

"Weiss!" Ruby cheered as Weiss exited the ship. The two women embraced each other. Weiss almost lost it again there. Ruby was always so happy to see her. Not even Flynt was this enthused when she would meet with him. Then again, nights with Flynt happened so much more often than nights with Ruby.

"I'm glad you're okay." Weiss said, running her hair through Ruby's hair. Ruby broke the hug.

"Did you hear what happened to Cinder?" Ruby asked.

"Yes I did. I'm more concerned with the fact that Adam and Tobi are now running free." Weiss said.

"Hey Ruby." Rubrum slipped out from behind Weiss.

"While I live and breathe." Ruby said. "Rubrum Snappes." She walked to the side of his hover chair and wrapped her arms around his head. "How's Penny?"

"She'll be alright." Rubrum laughed nervously. "It's not as bad as it was the first time, as far as I know. I wasn't around that time so I only have her father's depressing journal to go from. It is a bit worse than last time though."

"Last time?" Ruby raised an eyebrow.

"Oh um…" Rubrum nervously laughed as he scratched the back of his head. "Training accident."

"Oh that must have been terrible." Ruby said.

"Oh yeah, the kid freaked out. Then Flynt decided to mess with him and make him think he had actually killed his instructor."

"Which was a serious dick move." Weiss cut in.

"Anyway, I'll leave you girls be." He started leaving. "I'm going to the CCT, see if I can get these files Briggs was looking for."

"Take care." Weiss said.

"It was good seeing you again." Ruby said. "Come with me." She grabbed Weiss' hand and dragged her into their own room. Weiss lost her balance as she looked at it, just the way she remembered. "Yang and I fixed it up."

"Ruby I…" Weiss felt a tear in her eye.

"This Vile guy is really strong. He took on Nora and Ren by himself. He has people, people like Akagi. We watched the footage, Uncle Qrow said they were going to be students but vanished in the same ship Helios and Eos were on."

"I can't." Weiss said.

"You can't what?"

"I can't help you, not like I used to."

"Out of practice? Jaune feels the same way. But I have enough faith in him to defend our daughter. With help from my dad of course."

"No it's not that, not exactly." Weiss lamented. "I am out of practice, but I'm still skilled enough to take on one of them." She said.

"Then what is it?" Ruby said. "Oh don't tell me you're scared because that Phos lady beat you."

"I'm not scared. Not of her anyway."

"Then tell me. Weiss, I really need you on this. If you can't, whatever it is you can't, I need to know so that I can plan accordingly."

"You…plan?" Weiss dodged the question.

"I have a plan. I have a semblance of a plan but I need your help. So unless you're dead or dying…oh my God are you…"

"Ruby I'm pregnant." Weiss sunk onto her bunk.

"Oh thank God. For a second there I thought you were going to say you had cancer or something. Wait what?"

"I'm pregnant." Weiss said.

"Oh." Ruby looked down and crossed her arms behind her back as she brushed her foot around the ground. "Congratulations." She sighed. "How long?"

"One month." Weiss bit her lip. Ruby's eyes scanned her. Why did she have to look so innocent? Why did Weiss always have to tell her everything?

"One month." Ruby repeated. "So." He voice was barely below a whisper. "Who's the father?"

"I…I don't know." Weiss felt a tear in her eye. She felt so stupid right now. How, how could she not know? Why did she even go back to Neptune? All it did was cloud her mind and nearly ruin her chance at getting back with Flynt. Why did she have to bring herself more loathing and pain than anyone? And why the hell was Ruby just standing there?

"Does Flynt know?" Ruby said.

"He knows I'm pregnant. He knows that there's only a slim chance he's the father. He says he doesn't care. That if we're together then it's his kid for all intents and purposes. But…he wants the child to take my name. Which is fine, it would probably happen anyway."

"That's good to hear." Ruby said.

"But Ruby, I'm not ready for this." Weiss said. "I have no idea what it means to be a mother. I barely knew my mother when she died. I'm always so busy as it is. I'm…Ruby I'm so scared I'm going to turn into my father. I'm so scared I'm not ready for this and the child is going to end up hating me for it."

"Weiss." Ruby wrapped her arms around Weiss head, forcing her face into the younger girl's chest. "You, big dummy. You're not your father. You're you. That's truer than true. The fact that you're so concerned means you're ready to fight like hell to prove yourself wrong. That's how it's always been. When you thought, you weren't ready to be a hero, you helped win countless battles. When you thought, you weren't ready for the SDC, you lead it into a new golden age. You think you're not ready to be a good mother, I can't wait for you to prove yourself wrong."

"Ruby." Weiss wrapped her arms around Ruby's waist. With less than a hundred words Ruby shattered every demon Weiss had inside of her. "Thank you for everything." Weiss started crying. "Look at me, I must look pathetic. Stupid hormones going off the fritz."

"I think you look beautiful." Ruby readjusted to sit next to Weiss. "Dang, you and Nora both within a few months of each other. I always wanted to be a good leader but this is getting ridiculous. Next someone will tell me Blake is pregnant."

"No, not right now." Blake said from the doorway.

"Gah, how long have you been there.

"We're not interrupting anything, are we?" Yang said as she wrapped an arm around Blake.

"How long were you standing there?" Weiss asked.

"When you went face first into my sister's boobs." Yang smirked. "Settle a bet will you, whose are softer?"

"Now is not the time." Weiss said as she scooted to the right away from Ruby.

"It's okay to say Yang's right now." Ruby said. "I do have a one month old who drinks a lot of milk after all."

"Wait, do you breastfeed?" Blake said.

"Only when we're around the house. I am too embarrassed to do something like that in public."

"Embarrassed?" Blake asked.

"I don't even like wearing a bathing suit." Ruby admitted. "Too many eyes on me."

"And that skin is for Jaune's eyes only, right?" Yang tried making her sister blush.

"As a matter of fact yes." Ruby said as she stood up. "Don't be jealous just because you have to put in actual work for it." Ruby's hand covered her mouth as soon as she said it. Not in the 'I shouldn't have done that' way but in a 'what has gotten into me' sort of way.

"Oh, I have been waiting for this day." Yang smiled and clenched her fist. "You really want to go? Fine, lets com…" Blake pulled her back.

"So what is going on with you Weiss?" Blake said.

"Mother f…" Yang started but was stopped by Blake flicking her mouth.

"Weiss?" Blake asked as she took a seat. Blake and Yang didn't have as much to say about it as Ruby had. Not that Weiss needed any more.

"So are you hoping for a boy or a girl?" Yang asked.

"Boy, name him Eiess, after my grandfather." Weiss said.

"For someone not ready you sure thought about this." Ruby joked.

"I literally, cannot think of any other name right now." Weiss admitted.

"That's fine." Ruby said. "Anyway, we should really think of what we're going to do about Cipher."

"Well, he knows you're here in Vale waiting." Blake said.

"Uncle Qrow just approved a curfew for civilians to be in doors until this ends." Yang said.

"We should expect Grimm." Ruby said.

"We'll need most of our forces protecting the border of the city." Weiss said.

"Of course." Ruby nodded.

"My mom is keeping an eye out for Redstone activity." Yang said. "So we shouldn't have to worry about Grimm spawning in the middle of the city."

"If Adam is free he'll be coming for me." Blake said.

"We should hold that off for as long as we can without him hurting anybody." Yang said.

"I'll stay here." Weiss said. "I can make use of the facilities to provide support to all of you."

"Any word from Rubrum?" Ruby asked.

"All I heard was him saying something about there being no way Allister Briggs is better than him." Yang said.

"We didn't stick around long when we heard you were here." Blake said.

"How about the rest of the investigations?" Ruby asked.

"Flynt hasn't found anything of note." Weiss said.

"My mom found some more stuff on Avis Bran." Yang said. "But there's nothing linking him to Vile. M.O.s are totally different."

"Sun found a reference to something called Seerlivey, in reference to some Cipher prophecy." Blake said. "Nothing concrete though and again, nothing that matches what Vile is doing."

"It seems Cipher is just too old and too big to find something that way." Ruby said. "Any leads on Briggs?"

"It's looking more and more like he jumped kingdom." Blake said.

"If he's on Sanus we'll find him." Yang said. "If he's anywhere else, August or Kraken will find him."

"We know his semblance and can adjust accordingly." Blake said.

"Good." Ruby stood up. "I want you two to patrol the city. I'd rather you stick together though. I'll watch the city from the clock tower in Central Plaza."

"Alone?" Yang said. "Ruby you're not…"

"I'm not the one who's going to be looking for him. If he attacks me, I'll let you know. If he attacks you, I NEED to know."

"Fine." Yang bit her lip. Knowing what was going on made Weiss feel less stressed but more helpless. All she could conceivably do is the same kind of thing Rubrum could do, just both working together make things smoother.

"Anyway." Weiss said. "I think I'm going to lay down for a bit."

"I'll get out of your hair." Ruby said. "I'm going to go to the training deck."

"I'll join you." Blake said. "I could use some practice fighting fast opponents."

"I'll join you in a bit." Yang said.

Weiss laid down and turned away from Yang, who sat down at the foot of her bed and laid a hand onto the heiress' thigh. Weiss knew what she was going to say. She didn't want to hear it though. She had enough of self-pity, she didn't need other people's pity.

"What do you want?" Weiss asked, knowing the answer.

"You've heard all about Ruby's mom, right?"

"Of course I have."

"I…I think you should tell Neptune that it could be his."

"I don't want him part of my life in that way." Weiss said. "I don't want him in my child's life unless it is his. Even so, I don't care. I'm not even going to get tests for it. It's my child. His or her dad is whoever puts in the time, which no matter what, is going to be Flynt."

"That's not the responsible…"

"And what would you know of responsible?" Weiss shot out.

"You're right." Yang choked up. "I'm sorry I hurt you Weiss. I'm sorry…but it's not my fault Neptune broke your heart. You dumped him on your own accord. I just happened to be around to get drinks with him after you dumped him for the second time."

"Was that before or after you slept with me?" Weiss said. Yang stayed silent. "Just go away. Wait, hold on I have something to say." She turned towards Yang. "I'm not mad at you or him. I don't regret what we did. It is a bit embarrassing though. I'm just not that kind of person. I hate myself for believing I could make myself happy. But I can't, it's other people who make me happy. I'm happy with Flynt. That's all you should care about."

"I…I'm not with Neptune anymore, if that's any consolation."

"It's not." Weiss said. "It would be easier if you were actually. He's a good guy Yang. I just don't have the time he needs. That's why I love Flynt. We can go weeks without seeing each other but when we do it's like the whole world stops and there's nothing but us and whoever we are with."

"I'm glad." Yang said.

"You on the other hand…you are so afraid of meaningful relationships like that. You haven't had a boyfriend or girlfriend for more than a week before you move on."

"I don't move on." Yang said. "Arbiters aren't like huntsmen. We don't get the luxury of romantic lives."

"Don't feed me that. If Sun were to, God forbid, die, you would stop everything to be there for Blake. You might even end up sleeping with her. Answer me this, would it end up any different than with me?"

"I hope I never have to find out." Yang said. "And what makes you think I'd sleep with her?"

"I know how you work. You go after all sorts of people, but don't know how to get them from casual acquaintances to meaningful relationships. It's how it would go."

"When you say it out loud…" Yang trailed off. "Anyway, have a good nap." Yang leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you, not in the same way Ruby loves Jaune, but at least in the same way I love Blake."

"So long as it's different than how you love Ruby because that would be weird." Weiss said.

"Ew gross." Yang cringed.

"Funny, something actually made you cringe."

"Even I have my limits." Yang wondered to the door. "Sleep tight."

"I'll try."

 **AN: Lots of revelations here but I don't think any of them are that important for this story. The whole Yang and Weiss thing was actually, an idea I got from the reviews of RWBYond Happily Ever After. The Yang and Neptune thing was actually, legitimately planned though, as was the whole Neptune/Yang/Weiss/Flynt/ thing was planned. You'll see why in a later story. Next Time: Evening the Odds. Review, Follow, Favorite.**


	13. Evening the Odds

RWBYond War

 **AN: We're already half way through this story. It's gone by really fast, but I've enjoyed it. I really like this tighter, more focused story where everything all ties back together. This chapter, is going to be the hardest, because things really begin here and it's hard to write the beginning of a battle.**

Chapter 13: Evening the Odds

Yang drove around the streets of Vale on her motorcycle. The sun had just set on the third day that the curfew had been in effect. Ruby had begun wondering if Vile was going to make good on his threat. Everything had been going well over on Patch. Ren had just been let out of the hospital and had joined in the nightly patrol. Weiss was feeling more nauseous than anything. Yang had tried buying her a bottle of scotch to make her feel better but Ruby had banned it. Apparently, it wasn't good for Weiss to drink while pregnant. Weiss was not too happy about that.

Yang parked her bike at the liquor store anyway. The store owner was wrapping up his day before going home for curfew so Yang made it just in time. She grabbed a thing of whiskey, hoping to split it with Blake at the very least. She would also like Ruby to join in, but the younger huntress wasn't much for hard drinks. Even when she did drink, it was usually with Jaune. One of these days Yang was going to have her completely cut loose. She had come close these last few days, Ruby's lack of Jaune and Citrine were taking their toll. After all, Ruby hadn't gone a single night without him in almost a year. Which is way longer than any stretch of time she had spent with Weiss or Blake.

"Hey team." Rubrum buzzed in. "I found Glas' files."

"Really?" Yang answered into her headpiece.

"Yeah, I've been searching for them in the airwaves for days now and I just stumbled upon them."

"Anything we can go off of?" Blake rang in.

"Nothing we don't already know." Rubrum said.

"It's just some stuff about the second wave of project AKAS." Weiss buzzed in.

"The henchmen Vile has recruited." Ruby rang.

"They were on the same boat as those kids you picked up on Patch." Rubrum said.

"Uncle Qrow already confirmed that much." Ruby said.

"You don't think those kids are part of this, do you?" Blake said.

"There's nothing about them here." Rubrum said. "Besides, all their paper work checked out." He seemed to trail off.

"What are you thinking?" Yang said.

"Just how nice it would be to have a kid." Rubrum answered.

"Parenthood is amazing!" Ruby beamed.

"That's what you and Rio keep saying." Rubrum said. "I just…with Penny you know."

"Wait Rio has a kid?" Ruby said.

"Have you ever thought about adoption?" Weiss said.

"Yeah, but that's a lot of work."

"Well Ruby has two that are looking for a home." Blake mused.

"Can we go back to the part where Rio has a kid?" Ruby asked.

"He's got a daughter just a week younger than yours." Rubrum said.

"Why am I just now hearing about this?" Ruby asked.

"It's not like you talk to Rio that often." Rubrum said. "When was the lat time you even talked to him?"

"I don't know." Ruby said. "Obviously been a while. So who's…"

"I have something coming in." Rubrum interrupted. "It's like every server just went active at once. It's flooding the CCT."

"What is it?" Yang asked.

"Whatever it is it's not good." Rubrum said.

There was an explosion at a nearby gas station. Then another, then another. Every screen that lined the streets went blank. Yang's scroll started going nuts. As did every scroll in earshot. Every scroll in the city was going off. Lights began flickering and shutting off. The whole city went dark. Then, on every screen in the city, a single image appeared.

"Rubrum, what are we looking at?" Yang said.

"I'm trying to track it now." Rubrum said. The image was a decrepit man in a robe and hood.

"People of Vale." A chilling voice said.

"Tobi." Ruby said.

"You know who I am. You know what I am capable of. We are Cipher. This was merely a test of our capability to wipe your entire network off the grid with a press of a button. We also have a bomb capable of wiping Vale off the face of Remnant. This is your one and only warning. Surrender now…or die. If the city has not surrendered by the rising of the sun, this city burns. And to the huntsmen surely listening…I do hope you try to stop us. Do it, come at us with all your might. For if you fail to stop us than Vale will be ours. I look forward to watching you fail."

The camera cut out but the power stayed off on all the lights. This wasn't good. Already Yang could hear the feintest of panic around the city. She locked and loaded her gauntlets. She went for her scroll, which was locked into short range communications only.

"Oh and one more thing." Vile's mechanical voice played over every speaker. "Vale is now a battleground between us, and the huntsmen trying to defend the city. Go to your homes and pray that the huntsmen either surrender, or succeed in defeating us."

Manhole covers started popping off the street as robots launched from underground. Yang intercepted one with an uppercut. As it fell apart she twisted her body to deliver an elbow to another one. She dodged a bladed attack and caught the offending arm before knocking the drone's head clean off.

"We've got a shitload of problems guys." Yang said.

"The communication was too scrambled to be tracked." Rubrum said.

"If he's telling the truth about the bomb he'd have needed a lot of dust." Weiss said. "There's only a few places he could have done that."

"Uncle Qrow and the other huntsmen are patrolling the borders." Ruby said. "We cannot let the Grimm run amuck."

"So it's just us?" Blake said.

"We also have the police." Ren called in. "There's some local militias and a few scattered huntsmen."

"So what do we do?" Yang said as she scrapped another drone with a right jab. "I mean, besides take out the trash."

"We even the odds." Rubrum said. "I can't contact outside the kingdom but give me a few minutes and I'll have eyes and ears all over the city."

"Won't they have ways around that?" Blake said.

"There is no way on this planet that they can outdo me." Rubrum said.

"You stay focused on that." Ruby said. "Weiss, you stay focused on locating that bomb. Blake, Yang, you guys make a serpentine maneuver around the streets."

"Just linked all of our scrolls." Rubrum said. "We can now see and hear anything we want each other to hear. I'm monitoring the stream to make sure they don't eavesdrop."

"We need to know where they're hitting so we can hit back." Ren said.

"Yang, you go here." Ruby said. Yang's scroll beeped with a location. "Blake, this way. Ren, two blocks north."

"Alright, I have my scanners ready." Rubrum said.

"That was fast." Yang said amazed.

"That was the easy part. It's basically just making this tower work the same way as my semblance."

Yang rushed to the residential district. There was some kind of tank there taking aim at a building. Before it could fire, Yang blasted the machine with all her might, breaking it immediately. There were some soldiers, human soldiers. Yang didn't care to pull her punches. If they survived, they'd be in the hospital for sure. I not, no skin off Yang's bones.

She delivered an axe kick to the first one before using the second one's ribs like a punching bag. She used her aura to shrug off the bullets coming at her as she close lined another thug. She jabbed another one in the throat and slammed him to the ground with an aura shattering blow. She flung her fist into another one's face and fired the shotgun. As she left jabbed and fired another round to a weakened soldier, his mask peeled off and some of his face with it.

An airship flew above Yang and fired down on her. A bullet hit her in the chest, making her fall backwards into a trash can. She fueled that energy into a ranged blast that took out an engine. A hundred drones bailed from the ship's cargo bay. Yang stared them down.

"I'm in." Rubrum said. Yang's hair went white as she entered the white raven mode.

"I want everything you have directed at Yang Xiao Long." Vile said over the radio.

"She'll get what she deserves." Tobi said.

"I don't want that, I want her dead, fast. The longer this goes the more dangerous it is to have her live." Vile fumed.

"Leave her to me." Adam's voice rang in her ears.

"You focus on catching Blake." Vile said. "Terra, how long until you make it into the city?"

"It'll still be another hour." A girl said.

"Maybe you jumped the gun." Adam said.

"No, that's fine." Vile said.

"Terra is a power piece in this game." Tobi said. "Strongest of those three subjects."

"You're a knight, Adam." Vile said. "You're the first power piece in play. Don't make me regret salvaging you from that hole."

"L…Vile, sir." Briggs voice came in. "It appears that our communications are being monitored."

"Faster than I expected." Vile said.

"They must have Rubrum Snappes in the city." Tobi suggested.

"Very well." Vile said. "I hope you're listening to this Ruby Rose. The city is mine. By the end of the night, your dream is going to be dead and it'll die with you. And tonight, everyone will know it was YOU that failed them. They're going to see you as the naïve little girl I already know you are."

"The hell you will." Yang said. In her blinded rage, she hadn't even realized that she had annihilated all the drones.

"I have a line on their communications." Rubrum said. "It's coming from the northwest sector of the city."

"There's a factory there." Weiss said. "It has all the facilities they would need to make a bomb."

"I'm going in." Ruby said.

"I'll back you up." Yang said.

"Strange…" Weiss said. "The factory is well defended so overnight workers have been allowed to stay there during curfew."

"But it went completely silent about an hour ago." Rubrum said. "Because it's out of the way, it went unnoticed. But they haven't had any radio chatter out of there all night."

"That has to be where they are." Ruby said.

"Or it could just be a trap." Weiss said.

"That's what I'm here for." Yang said. "We're evening the odds. If we can take this bomb out of play, we can fight the rest of Cipher at our leasure."

"And it sounds like we have an hour before reinforcements show up." Blake said.

"Uncle Qrow, what's it like on your end?" Ruby said.

"There's Grimm." Qrow said. "Not a lot though. They seem to be…scared."

"They know what danger they'd be in." Ruby said. "It's the same as on Patch. The Grimm are scared to come across me, so they stay as far away as they can."

"I didn't think that was possible." Ren said.

"I guess that's what happens when you stand alone as the Hecatonchires returns to the Oblivion from which it came." Ruby said.

"That's what my mom guessed." Yang said. "Because you killed Salem when she became the closest thing to a god incarnate, Grimm naturally fear you."

"I wonder if that's what Cinder was talking about." Ruby said.

"I wonder if it'll ware off." Blake said.

"I wonder if Cipher knows it does." Weiss said. "Could be that they're just preparing the world for when that happens."

"But they've never cared about any of that stuff." Yang said. "They were never the group for idealism."

"So maybe it was Vile alone and that's why he took over Cipher." Weiss suggested.

"We don't have enough information to make any claims like that." Blake said.

"We need to find out who Vile is." Ruby said. "I'm almost at the factory."

"I'll be right behind you." Yang said.

 **AN: So as far as RWBYond arcs go, this story is more like the Vile Arc, or the Siege of Vale Arc, than a War Arc. Of well, RWBYond Siege or RWBYond Vile don't sound as cool. The siege of Vale has begun. Next Time: Face to Face. Be sure to review, follow and favorite.**


	14. Face to Face

RWBYond War

 **AN: This is the chapter I've been looking forward to the most, except maybe the chapter where the big mystery is solved. If you hadn't guessed from RWBYond Vale, I love encounters between heroes and villains where they just argue about their own significance in the story and their worldviews and why they're fighting.**

Chapter 14: Face to Face

Ruby made it to the factory. She contemplated waiting for Yang, but the elder sister had gotten tied up with drones elsewhere in the city. Who knew when she'd make it. Ruby didn't have time to wait. She had to go and go now.

"Rubrum, anything you can tell me?" Ruby said.

"The workers there were a skeleton crew." Rubrum said. "Only six people clocked in at the time they went silent."

"Six people, got it." Ruby said.

"Hold up." Rubrum warned.

"There's no time!"

"That factory is huge. You can't go in blind." Rubrum said. "Go to the transference tower just north of you."

"Why?"

"Just do it!" Weiss shouted over the radio. Ruby listened and flew up to the tower. "Sending ALS now."

"ALS?" Ruby asked. At that moment, a small red drone flew in next to Ruby.

"Aerial Logistical Surveillance." Weiss said. "SDC's newest in danger prevention technology." She seemed quite proud.

"All the workers check in via their scrolls and their badges." Rubrum said. "I already downloaded the information directly to ALS."

"Open up your scroll." Weiss said. Ruby did and on the screen, was ALS' point of view.

"He'll find your men." Rubrum said. ALS flew off and circled around the factory. Ruby saw numerous bars sweeping around the screen and honing in on six locations.

"Found them." Ruby said as she flew forward and onto the factory. She headed towards the closest one. She spotted numerous tanks riding around the loading dock. Closer to where the worker's signal, were a pair of mercenaries patrolling.

"I'm back in their communications!" Rubrum said.

"I want that factory on lockdown!" Vile's voice said.

"She's coming for you." Tobi said. "You know that, right?"

"I'm counting on it. If any of you see her, call it in and I'll kill a hostage."

"Are you planning to kill her now?" Tobi asked.

"No, the night is much too young."

"You might not get another chance."

"I need to see her broken first!"

"Why do you hate her so much?"

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you." Vile said even colder than usual. "You know nothing of legacy. Switch communications code." The radio went silent.

"Drat!" Weiss said.

"No matter, I can do this all night." Rubrum affirmed.

"Are you sure you don't have any idea who it could be?" Weiss said.

"Hmm…" Ruby thought. "Look through all the records. Anyone associated with Salem, the Black Knights or the White Fang. Check former Arbiters and the Skull Kids while you're at it. Focus in on people with huntsmen training, people from Beacon especially. Focus in on anybody I may have taken down in the past."

"Other than he being a former Beacon student, none of that narrows it down." Weiss said. "Even that, we can't be too sure of. There's plenty of powerful people who have never set foot in a huntsmen academy."

"It's the only thing I can think of." Ruby put her hood up and dashed forward at full speed. She collided with a soldier's solar plexus and began carrying him in the air. The other soldier got caught in the vacuum and was carried up with them. Ruby saw two more on the roof so she pulled out her scythe to scoop them up as well. As she ascended into the air, four soldiers in tow, she spun around and slammed the three that had just got caught up with her scythe, sending all of them crashing into the roof.

She spun in midair and flew back towards the worker. Another soldier came out of the door only to be kicked in the face by Ruby. His helmet broke apart and his head went through a panel, knocking him out for the night. Ruby turned the corner in an instant, slamming another guard into the wall. She reached where the worker was only to see…

"He's dead." Ruby clenched her fist.

"By the looks of it he put up a fight." Rubrum called in.

"Did…did he have a family?"

"Do not do this to yourself." Rubrum warned.

"But this is my fault. Vile wants me and I accepted the challenge on his terms. It's my fault this man is dead and the city is in danger."

"No, it's thanks to you that there is a city to be in danger." Rubrum said.

"That was years ago…"

"Stop sulking!" Weiss said. "If I can't sulk, then neither can you!"

"But..."

"Get down." Rubrum said. Ruby didn't catch it in time as she was forced to quickly react to another guard that nearly got the drop on her. She caught him with her scythe and slammed him down.

"That was close." Weiss said.

"Hey, sorry I'm not good at all this stealth stuff." Ruby said. "This is definitely a Blake mission."

"Well she's all the way on the other side of the city." Weiss lamented. "The next hostage is in that observation deck." Straight ahead there was a small bridge lined with tanks leading to a small deck that was used to signal approaching ships.

"Oh no." Rubrum said.

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

"Those tanks are the new diamondback models." Weiss said. "Those things are built to take on goliaths. How did they get ahold of them?"

"Scanning now." Rubrum said. Ruby bid her time by falling back onto the rooftop. "Interesting…they have the same design but the actual construction and materials are different."

"So they must have gotten the blueprints and made their own." Weiss said.

"If I take out the supports on that loading bridge, will that get rid of them?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, and you don't have to worry about personnel, those things are unmanned." Weiss said.

"Good." Ruby flew underneath the bridge and quickly took out the supports. The bridge collapsed and the tanks sunk to the bottom of the shallow bay. There was still one on the dock, so Ruby took a lightning-round and shot it. She then slammed into it, sending it into the water.

She opened the door. There was a small landing bay inside. On the other side was a glass wall leading to a room. Ruby could see the hostage tied up to some pipes. She dashed to the room and entered through the door. She ripped the tape off the worker's mouth.

"Thank the heavens." He said. "I knew you'd save me."

"What happened?" Ruby said.

"They came from the sea. Within minutes they overran the place. Ships, tanks, soldiers, they said they were setting up shop here."

"Did you see their leader?"

"Yes, it was that Tobi guy. From the Grimm War."

"What about the other one? The one with the mask."

"He was there too. But he just sat back and…" The worker was interrupted when a guy dropped down from the ceiling. In the blink of an eye, Ruby cut him loose and tossed him away. The assailant looked to be a teenager.

"Ashford Fall I presume." Ruby said. Ash's hands lit ablaze as he charged Ruby. Ruby casually dodged each of his attacks. Eventually, Ash overreached. Ruby tripped him, grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against a wall. "Give it up kid. Your mother couldn't beat me and neither can you."

"It's YOUR fault that she's been rotting away!" Ash accused.

"If you really think that then you're as lost as she was." She caught Ash's punch and hit him with a palm strike. He charged up a shotgun-like blast and Ruby blocked every pellet with a spin of her scythe. She fire her weapon behind her, boosting her between Ash's legs. She scooped him up and slammed him into the ceiling then slammed him back down.

Ash rolled back up and pulled out a chain. With a flare of his semblance, the chain ignited. He swung it at Ruby to no avail. He managed to get it around her weapon and pull it away from her. As Crescent Rose impaled the metal wall, it nearly hit the worker.

Ash swung again and Ruby blocked it so that the chain wrapped around her arm. A bit of maiden magic later and the chain froze. The extreme temperature change caused the weapon to break. Ash threw fireballs at Ruby but she just caught them in the air. She combined them, turning the orange balls into a green flame and threw it back at him.

As he slammed into the opposite wall, Ruby scattered. She grabbed her scythe and hit him with an elaborate combo meant to break his limbs. She shot his leg with an ice-round. He smashed the ice with his fist only to get his hand shot. The ice around his hand exploded, stunning him.

Ruby got behind him and tossed him up into the air. She blasted him with a bit of magic lightning before flinging him over her shoulder. She slammed the bluntest part of her scythe into his back. In a blink, she stomped onto that part of his back.

"You need to cool off." She said as she froze his face. She was quite pleased with that one.

"Amazing." The worker said. "I couldn't even keep up. I guess I should expect that much from the greatest huntress in Remnant."

Just then an airship flew overhead. Parts of the ceiling broke. The door to the room locked shut. Cipher's symbol came on the screen in the other room. The gunship Hovered in the bay door. Soldiers and drones dropped from the ceiling. Then he showed up.

"Focus on her legs and shoulders." Vile said. "You two, keep your guns trained on the worker. If she moves, I want a wall of bullets in her way and another line going towards his head. All it would take is a second and she'd send you all skyward."

"Vile." Ruby said.

"Well, well, well." Vile said. "We finally meet face to face. The legendary Ruby Rose. Hero of the world. Champion of Remnant. Guardian of Vale. You are impressive."

"Enough with the formalities." Ruby said. "It's over."

"Oh my dear deluded Spring Maiden. It hasn't even begun."

"How long can you keep this up?"

"I should ask you the same thing. How about I…" He pulled his wrist up to his face. "Press this button and have the other four workers killed."

"You…" Ruby was at a loss for words.

"See boys…give her a choice and she'll always throw away her own life for the sake of the people, a people she knows nothing about no less. That's what I like about you." Vile put his arm down. "You're Predictable!" He pointed at her. "I know your move before you do, I know how you think!" He slammed his hands against the glass wall.

"Really, then what am I thinking now?"

"I know exactly what you're thinking." He backed away a bit. "You're thinking." He did a little spin. "Who the hell is this guy?" He focused back in on Ruby.

"No, I'm thinking about how satisfying it's going to be to kick your ass."

"Don't get your hopes up. All it leads to is disappointment. And tonight, I'm going to show you just how bad, your little worldview of optimism and hope really is. I'm going to show you that your LEGACY, your FRIENDS are your weakness."

"I scanned his armor." Rubrum radioed in. "Man it's quite the piece of hardware. It's built like your weapon, but as a suit."

"Sizing me up?" Vile said. "I'm flattered."

"If you're going to do something do it." Ruby said. "Right now you're just wasting my time." Ruby reached behind her back.

"Very well." Vile said. "Kill them both." Ruby slammed down the earth-round she pulled from her pocket and infused it with her aura. The bullets ripped through the glass and bounced off it. She infused her magic to turn it into a bomb and threw the wall at the attackers. "Thought as much."

Vile kicked her in the face as he dropped back down. He pulled out two pistols and began firing at her. She deflected the bullets with her scythe and closed the distance. Vile flipped out of the way. A blue energy surrounded him and formed a hammer that he swung at Ruby. Ruby noted that his whole suit glowed blue as it happened.

Ruby easily darted around the blow and collided with him. As she sent her scythe into his torso, he shattered into a blue digitized haze. Before she could even think, she instinctively spun around the room, taking out all the remaining soldiers. She blasted the airship with lightning. A moment later, the familiar sound of Ember Celica finished off the machine.

"Yang!" Ruby cheered.

"Hey Ruby." She said.

"I found out Vile got into your communications so I didn't bother telling you Yang arrived some time ago." Rubrum explained.

"That's alright." Ruby turned to the worker who was awestruck. Sadly, Ashford had made an escape in the chaos. "You alright?" The man nodded.

"Apparently, this was the whole group left in the factory." Yang said. "Ren and Blake got the other four out while you had them distracted.

"And the bomb?" Ruby asked. Yang shook her head.

"It's gone." Yang said.

"There's signs of it here." Ren called in. "But it looks like they took it underground." Ruby nodded.

"Hey Rubrum." She said. "Any idea what that power was about?"

"Semblance or suit, hard to say." Rubrum said. "It was definitely different than what Jaune, or even Velvet use though."

"It felt kind of like glass." Ruby said.

"Neo?" Yang suggested.

"No, it wasn't like her glass. It was almost like…"

"Platinum." Ren said. "The noise from when I fought him, the color, the texture, it's like he can manipulate platinum into hard light holograms."

"So it is like Velvet's weapon." Weiss said.

"Only it seems to be a lot less stable." Ruby said.

"Damn…so we're no closer in nailing this guy." Yang said.

"Oh crap baskets." Rubrum said. "I just analyzed the footage ALS got. He made the switch when Ruby laid down cover. It was a light clone, not an illusion or a shallow copy. Looks like he makes it the same way he does his little construct weapons."

"We need to find him." Ruby said. "Yang, you cover the streets. Ren, you cover the caves. Blake, any word on Adam?"

"No." Blake answered over the radio.

"Keep looking. He won't stay hidden for long." Ruby assured.

"Rubrum, any other pressing situations." Yang asked.

"Well, not really." He answered.

"We think we picked up that ship Vile was talking to earlier." Weiss said. "It's heading in from the west."

"I'll go intercept it when it gets to Vale." Yang volunteered.

"I'll keep running around trying to draw Vile out." Ruby said.

"Alright, check back if you find anything." Yang said.

 **AN: Such a tease, I know. But the night is still young. The pacing in these next few chapters is going to be a bit wonky. They're all just fights, but so far between that it's going to be hard to make it flow together. Next Time: Yang vs. Someone. Please review, follow and favorite.**


	15. Fall Again

RWBYond War

 **AN: These next two chapters could be in any order. I chose this one just because it flows better with who was involved with the last chapter, and the next chapter is a more anticipated fight.**

Chapter 15: Fall Again

Yang leaped from the roof of the building and landed with an earth-shattering blast right in the middle of a group of soldiers. An Atlesian Knight kicked her in the shoulder so she threw her elbow back and smashed it to pieces. She fired her shotgun into the torso of another drone. As the parts flew in all directions she caught a piece and turned and threw it into the face of another drone.

"That was so freaking cool." She fist-pumped, impressed with herself. "I just wish Blake or Ruby could have seen that."

"That was an excellent kick Yang." Weiss radioed in.

"The f…you weren't even watching." Yang said.

"I can't exactly see you." Weiss said. "ALS is busy following Ruby around."

"Ah, come on, at least send it over here so you can watch me use this robot's head as a soccer ball." Yang said as she kicked the head off a drone and watched it collide with another. This was her job. The streets were littered with drones, soldiers and tanks. She had to make it to the docks and find out what was on the ship Vile was expecting.

"Think fast!" A voice said as a fireball hit her face.

"And then there's this ass hole." Yang groaned. Ashford Fall dropped down in front of her.

"You're Yang Xiao Long, right?" He said.

"What's it to you, you dick?" Yang wiped the spit from her mouth.

"You've been making a mess of our forces. It ends now."

"Bring it kid." Yang extended her arms. "I'll even give you the first shot. Don't waste it, or I'll waste you." Ashford growled in frustration as he swung a lava infused fist directly at Yang's face. The blow didn't even make her budge, much to his shock.

"What…what are you?"

"I'm the smokin' hot blonde who loves to party and fight who's pissed beyond belief because a couple ass-hats with an axe to grind threatened her friends and family. With one particular dick waffle who's out of his depths thinking he can take on someone who's banged with the best of them…And I warned you…don't waste that shot."

"Sh…" Ash couldn't even finish his sentence when Yang backhanded him down the street. Ash flipped onto his feet, grinding his hand to the ground to melt the concrete. He manipulated it to send it flying at Yang. She stomped her foot to the ground and raised her aura to take the blows for her.

"To hell with it." Yang said. "Make this interesting for me. Let's see who gets tired first."

"Screw you!" He sent a volley of fireballs at her. She blocked them all with her prosthetic arm.

"That's the spirit." She said. She then dropped to a lower register. "Can't wait to break it."

Ash appeared behind her and punched the back of her head. She staggered for half a second. Ash appeared in front of her and unleashed a furious combo. Punch after punch landed on her shoulders and head. She didn't even use a lot of aura to block them. They were so light that they would barely hurt if she didn't have aura.

"Hah, I knew you were all talk." Ash said. "You think you are hot shit? Well look at you, you won't even fight back."

Yang was charging her semblance. Unlike the other members of her old team, she didn't have much of a personal life. She didn't have someone to return home to. She tried. She tried with Sage, Neptune, Weiss, several other guys and gals, August, especially August. But she was an Arbiter. She had been on the front lines of conflict ever since she first reunited with RWBY back at Haven. She never took long breaks. She never settled down. She was a born fighter. And this kid wasn't even packing the same punch as Akagi had.

"Keep thinking that." She caught his punch and squeezed, snapping the bones in an instant. Her eyes were red now.

"Gah!" Ash dropped to his knees.

"I only did that because I have pent up aggression towards your mom."

"You broke my hand!"

"Lucky I didn't break your neck. It would have been easy." She grabbed him around the collar. "I would like to kill you, but you're still a kid and my sister is ever the optimist. So, I don't want to just beat you. I want to break you to the point where you'll never fight me again."

"Like Adam did to you?" Ashford said. "How well did that turn out?"

"Oh." Yang took a deep breath. "You still want to talk shit?" She clenched her metal hand in front of his face. "Let's see how long you can go with just one hand." He only managed to throw a few left jabs into her stomach before backing off. He was breathing heavy.

"You…think you're so good? Tell me where that's gotten you. You, smug bitch!"

"Yep." Her hair went white and she was surrounded by radiant white and yellow energy. Her pool of power collected on her glyph inscribed prosthesis. Execution Fist was her strongest attack. She unleashed the punch into Ashford's solar plexus. He grunted in pain and spat blood. His aura shattered in an instant. Then, his ribs cracked one by one. The glyph symbol for execute appeared behind him, ripping his flesh asunder. He rocketed into a brick wall, creating a perfect indenture.

"One…punch…" He passed out.

"Lucky for you I was only half charged. Otherwise you'd be a grease stain right now."

"Damn." A woman's voice said. Yang was hit from behind with a chunk of street. The slab sandwiched her into a building.

"Alright, who has the balls?" Yang pulverized the slab and spun around. There was a girl with blonde hair put up in double loops. She had a red ribbon tied around her throat. She also had a brown flak jacket over a green shirt that matched her eyes. "I stand corrected. Who has the ovaries?"

"Nope, I'm still the one with the stones." She said as several stones hovered around her.

"Oh, aren't you precious." Yang smirked. "Got a name kid?"

"Terra Formar." She said. "And I'm the one who's going to rock your world."

"Oh the things I would do to you if you weren't a teenager." Yang got in her combat stance.

"Probably would help if I wasn't also a terrorist."

"No, the crazy actually makes it hotter."

"I'd love to keep flirting." She gave Yang a wink. "But Vile said if I kill you, he'd give me the power of the Spring Maiden after he kills your sister."

"Keep dreaming. You aren't killing me and he sure as hell isn't killing Ruby."

"We'll see." She squatted down and clenched her hands. The road peeled off the ground and circled her. "Imagine if you will, that kind of power enhancing my own. The power of nature itself. A power whose primary basis IS the earth, with lighter manipulation of all the elements. I'd be a god!"

She threw a volley of boulders. Yang blasted them as they closed in. The smaller ones, she didn't bother countering. They were coming in too fast to punch away. Yang tried closing the distance but was intercepted by another line of rubble.

"A god huh?" Yang said. "You wouldn't be the first. But they're all dead." Yang blasted the ground sending a shockwave that split the road, or what was left of it. "You wouldn't even be the first to get pulverized for trying to take Ruby's maiden powers."

"I know about Akagi Tsuki. I was on that island too for a while. Akagi couldn't keep up trying to be an Argentware. She had so much to prove that it killed her. I have no such reservations. I just want that power. Vile says he'll get it for me but if he can't, oh well."

"Oh well is right." Yang shot back with a flip and a couple fire blasts. "The path you're on leads nowhere but to ruin. If you try taking that power, you will be stopped."

"You think you're the one who is going to stop me?" Terra asked. She slid around a building on a stone platform. The building peeled off around her and she threw the pieces at Yang. Yang ran up the building, keeping her gauntlets loaded to boost her around and using the projectiles as stepping stones.

"Hell yeah I do." Yang said. "All you kids, talking big time to people way out of your league." No matter how far she went, Terra kept her distance. "Well you're just throwing stones. Anyone can do that." Yang caught a rock and threw it back at Terra. The rock circled around her and flung back to Yang, striking her in the head.

Yang landed on the ground with a crash. Terra hovered in the air on her makeshift platform. Hundreds of rocks of varying sizes circled around her. All but the largest ones, bombarded Yang all at once. Yang stood her ground. She tried using White Raven mode to enhance her defenses. But even that had limits against this sort of thing.

The bombardment ended in seconds. Yang looked up and saw that Terra had formed a stone knight out of the larger pieces. Yang blocked the sword strike with her fist. Her semblance shattered it instantly. She unleashed a powerful punch to the golem's left hand, disintegrating it.

Yang leaped up and hit the construct dead center with a power punch. The golem broke apart, clearing Yang's path to Terra. She nearly made it. Then, with a smirk on her face, Terra recalled all the pieces of the golem to hit Yang at all angles. Terra descended back to the ground and called upon every bit of stone on the block to make a moon with Yang in the center.

Yang fought and punched through as much as she could. Her eyes were beat red and her hair glowed. But alas, the boulders were coming in at a greater rate than Yang's punches. Soon, all Yang could see was darkness. She was completely subdued in the floating ball of stone. Next, the whole thing began glowing red as if she was infusing fire dust into the stone. Then, it slammed down into the street with a massive explosion. Yang nearly felt relief as she was broken free. But then, two more sandwiched her causing an explosion.

"You were at a disadvantage from the start." Terra taunted. "Sure, as a hand to hand fighter, you are absolutely without peer. But you're cocky. You let Ash wail on you. You blocked rather than avoided my stones. You tried closing the distance on a fighter who excels at ranged combat."

"You're right." Yang groaned. She struggled back onto her feet. "I am cocky." She fell back down and picked herself back up. "I am hotheaded. I did take too many hits tonight. But that's what makes me strong." She spat out blood along with a tooth. Trails of blood clouded her vision. "So you better just kill me!"

She stomped her foot on the ground. She was full powered now. Even though she couldn't move her left arm now. The intense heat around her cauterized her smaller wounds. The influx of energy healed her bruises and scrapes. The energy of her semblance formed a radiant bird. In an instant, she delivered an execution fist into Terra's stomach.

She had to hand it to the brat. She took the punch like a champ. A half powered one was enough to put Ash down for the coming year. A full powered execution fist was strong enough to rip through a Grimoire. Against Terra though, all it did was deplete most of her aura. The follow up shot is what shattered it.

Yang's White Raven armor dissipated alongside Terra's aura. Terra crashed into the same wall Ash was in. Yang dropped to her knees victoriously. She was breathing heavy and at her limit. She had no aura left. What little she had after that explosion was used up to heal her and deliver that punch.

"With…pleasure." Terra dropped to her knees and put her hands to the ground. Yang felt the ground around her begin to sink. Terra screamed in pain and effort with a small trail of blood running down her face. Yang tried moving but the whole road collapsed into the large tunnel and cave system that ran underneath the city.

Yang hit the cold hard ground with a force that caused her to spit up more blood. The tunnel closed as Terra sealed it with boulders. Yang was being buried alive. She fought frantically, fear and anxiety closing in on her. She couldn't move her left arm and her right was out of dust because of that last punch. Then all Yang could see was darkness. The only thing she could feel was the frozen stone.

 **AN: I thought that would be longer. Then again, Terra doesn't screw around. Now if only Yang hadn't. What will become of her? Who's next to fall? Can anyone stop what's coming? Keep reading to find out. Next Time: Hello Darling. Please review, follow and favorite.**


	16. Lover's Spat

RWBYond War

 **AN: Mistral Man, you have me an awesome idea in your guest review. I hadn't really come to a decision about Kurome yet, but I think I have now. These next two chapters could be in any order. I chose this one just because it flows better with who was involved with the last chapter, and the next chapter is a more anticipated fight.**

Chapter 16: Lover's Spat

Blake dropped from a building onto an unsuspecting mercenary. She just heard a police report stating that the police station was under attack. The ring leader of the assault wasn't confirmed, but he had hostages. Yang wasn't answering anyone's calls and Ruby was halfway across the city chasing some airship that was trying to bomb the residential district.

From the rooftop, Blake could see Forever Fall. The beautiful forest was recovering nicely from the literal hell Cinder had given it a few years ago. But now, it was the dead of winter. There wasn't a single cherry blossom in sight. Just a bunch of barren trees.

Blake still had one memory in particular from that forest. It was the moment her life changed directions for ever. It was when she decided to stick to her beliefs and run away from the organization that had abandoned its righteous path. By extension, leaving her first love, a man who had succumbed to the darkness.

Blake flipped around to take out two more guards at once. The fourth guard on the building freaked out and fired his gun. Blake made an easy substitution and threw her pistol at the thug. The ribbon on her weapon wrapped around the man's throat as she pulled him in and bludgeoned him with her sheath.

"Well if they didn't know you were here they sure do now." Rubrum groaned into the radio.

"Isn't stealth supposed to be your forte?" Weiss snubbed off.

"Well, excuse me princess." Blake growled. "Taking out four guys in a second isn't exactly easy."

"Have you ever thought about getting a silencer for your pistol?" Rubrum asked.

"Yes, but it throws off the mechanisms." Blake sighed. She leaped back into the air leaving behind a volatile explosive clone. She reloaded her gun to cycle in some special dust clones. When the massive party entered the roof top, they circled the clone, telling it to freeze. One of them was stupid enough to touch it, like he was bringing her in.

The clones exploded, taking three guys out for the night, one of them possibly dead. Blake scissor kicked a thug, then used an acid clone to bypass two more. As they screamed in pain, Blake pushed forward with a lightning clone that killed the lights.

Ten or so quick slashes later and all the thugs were on the ground. Some of them were unconscious. Two or three of them were in critical condition and would require immediate medical services. The rest, weren't getting up anytime this month.

"Blake Belladonna." Tobi's image appeared on the monitor.

"Tobi."

"It has been so long since last we've met." The old Black Knight commander said.

"Not long enough." Blake fumed.

"I see you no longer wear the bow. Tell me, do you think that makes you free?"

"Freedom is perception. I have a lot more freedom now than I did as a child. But I am still obliged by the rules of my own morality to stop you."

"Morality?"

"What you're doing is wrong. I've met some sick, twisted people in my life but you are by far the worse." She pointed her sword at the screen. "I'm going to bring you to justice."

"Justice?" Tobi started laughing lightly, getting louder and louder over the seconds until it was a sharp cackle. "Look around you."

"All I see are a couple cretins who kill because someone told them to."

"And you don't."

"I fight for what I believe in. Ever since I've gone on this path, I have stridden to better myself, to fight the injustices in this world. Injustice's perpetrated by bastards like you."

"How many?"

"What?"

"How many bones will you break?" Tobi menaced. "How many lives will you ruin in the pursuit of what you call justice?"

"People who break the law get punished."

"Like you?"

"I changed my ways."

"So could they. That's why Ruby Rose is so reluctant to kill, correct?"

"I'm not Ruby."

"Even though you wish you could be." What passed as Tobi's face; twisted into a smile. "I think that's why Vile has no interest in you. You want so badly, to be the hero for all but you know just how dark and twisted humans naturally are. Look at your own life. You have tried to run away from who, from what, you are. Even…to this…day." He said barely above a whisper. "I know…about Avis Bran…about the origins of the Faunas. What do you suppose will happen if I tell Adam?"

"He already sees himself as a monster meant to wipe humanity out. He has forsaken his people."

"Do you hear that Adam?" Tobi said. His monitor cut out. Blake's heart skipped several beats. The door opened revealing the image of Blake's nightmares. Adam, fully dressed with his mask and weapon, staring down at her.

"Yes I did." He lunged at her with a moon slice. Blake barely had time to switch in a clone. She raised her sword in defense to block his attack.

"Adam!"

"Hello, darling." He growled. He flipped over her and shot at her back. She switched directions using her semblance. As he cut through the decoy, she cast a trio of clones. One for each side, and the third one she threw at him. With a blindingly fast strike, he eviscerated all the clones. Only to have one, the one on his left turn out to be an acidic clone.

He was forced to his right, against the wall. There, it wouldn't be so easy to use his sword. She sent another explosive clone followed up by an ice clone. Adam was forced backwards by the explosion and his feet were frozen by the ice. Blake kept it up. Getting in close and letting her decoys do all the damage. There was probably something symbolic there.

She forced Adam backwards. He was clearly out of practice. His strength and speed had dwindled since their last encounter back in Puerto Nuevo. This was likely the first fight he had been in in over four years.

"Where are the hostages?" Blake asked as she locked blades with him. Despite his declined skills, he was still physically stronger than her by a wide margin. It took all she had to keep him back when he was only using one arm.

"There are none."

"What?"

"Don't act so surprised. We're all just the sons of monsters, right?"

"Adam that's not how…"

"We were created from experimentations with the Grimm." Adam stated the fact with fury. "I've known. I've known ever since I shared a body with King. You knew too. So that gives you the right to forsake your own kind?"

"You're a fool if you believe I'm the one who forsook our race." Blake spun around his gun shot only to be hit with a boot to the sternum.

"Every, single thing I've done, I've done to protect the Faunas."

"You led them to ruin. Puerto Nuevo was YOUR fault."

"The Grimoire were going to wipe out the humans."

"They were going to wipe the Faunas out too."

"Only the ones that stood in our way. Faunas like you, that monkey tailed friend of yours, that August guy, the rabbit you were with on Menagerie."

"That monkey tailed friend happens to be my husband now." Blake shot out. Which was probably a mistake. Adam closed the distance. He turned a blind eye on the decoy she threw up and instead focused his next combo on her.

She was out of special clones. The ones she was left with weren't enough to even slow him down. She was being forced backwards, back to where the battered bodies she had left laid. Adam's hair glowed, his semblance fueled and overflowing with the damage he took earlier.

Blake jumped backwards and fired her gun, just to by her time. She flung Gambol Shroud around like a flail trying to keep Adam at bay. She managed to hit him in the face but he stepped back and sliced open a pipe. Steam engulfed him as he disappeared.

"Blake, are you okay?" Weiss called in.

"Now's not the time."

"What's going on?"

"It's Adam."

"Shit, I'm sending reinforcements."

"No." Blake said. Just then Adam dropped down on her, impaling a clone. Blake blocked and countered with her sheath to land a couple hits across his torso. He stabbed the ground, barely missing her feet. He vaulted over the handle and kneed her in the stomach. She leaped away from his next strike, and similarly dodged his next few strikes.

Blake landed a couple strikes when his sword impaled some scaffolding. Adam shot her in the chest but Blake rolled up on her feet and reclosed the distance. She aimed her strike at his abdomen, hoping for a moon slice to finish it. But Adam had greater reach. His moon slice slit her stomach lightly. Lighter than the shallow scars she had collected and worn as badges these last few years. Then, as she flew backwards from the hit, he kicked her in the face.

"Blake!" Weiss screamed into the radio. "I AM NOT going to just sit here and watch my friend get killed." Blake tucked and rolled under Adam's gunshots. The second he ran out of bullets she charged him.

"I'm not running. I'm done running away from him." Images of Sun, Yang, Ruby and Weiss flashed through her head as she landed a moon slice of her own to his leg. Adam retaliated with an upward slice across her middle, sending her falling backwards.

"Is that the ice queen on the other end?" He asked. "I couldn't believe it, when I found out you had made peace with a Schnee."

"She's not like the others."

"Oh really? I heard she's an alcoholic who changed her family's business for the sake of appealing to the majority." He wasn't wrong about the alcoholic art.

"You know nothing about her!" Blake jumped up and swung down on her. "Even if it was just a stunt, it's still leagues better than what you ever did for us."

"Did you forget, that it was the Schnees who separated you from your family?"

"Don't you dare bring them into it." Blake slashed across his arm. He grabbed her by the hair with a primal scream and slammed her into the wall. Before she could escape, he impaled her.

"All the familiar places." Adam growled as his sword went deeper inside her. Blake coughed up blood. Everything started going black. The snow on the roof started turning red with her blood. She couldn't escape. Then, an image of all her friends flashed in her head once again. Blake howled as she used a clone to push forward and headbutt Adam.

He fell backwards into an AC unit. Blake staggered on her feet and pulled the sword out of her stomach. Her dwindling aura did all it could to seal the wound, and did so admirably. All those endurance workouts with Sun had really paid off. In any other situation, that thought would have made her blush.

"It's because of people like you…that conflicts start." Blake accused. "Just look at yourself now. What did Cipher have to offer? They aren't out to make a whole new world like Salem. They aren't looking for power like Ham. All they want is to show that all the good work we've done is meaningless."

"Is that what you think?" Adam kicked her in the chin. "I don't need Seerlivey. I don't need Tobi." He backhanded her across the roof. "I didn't need King, Or Salem, or Cinder, or Torchwick." She blocked his next attack only to be hit with his sheath. "I didn't need Noah, or Shem or Ham, or Japheth or Sienna Khan." He stomped on her throat. "I didn't need Raven. All I needed was you to stand by my side. It could have been different. We could have led our people to a new golden age."

"The man I loved, died long before I left you." Blake said. "My only regret is that it took so long to see it." Adam raised his hand to stab her again. Then, Blake leaped up in the air boosted by a clone. She slashed him across the face and sliced off his right hand. She then tackled him off the rooftop.

They were tangled in a bundle of ropes. Blake and Adam furiously slashed at them. But it was all for naught. Blake fell to the ground with an aura shattering thud. Adam wasn't so lucky. Without his dominate hand, and his other hand wounded, he was unable to stop from being strangled by the ropes.

Blake stumbled onto her feet and took aim. She wouldn't let him die like this. She couldn't let any more blood be spilt. Not after Ruby had worked so hard to keep them all alive for all these years. Then, just as she was about to fire, a pink spike of energy impaled him.

"Tsk, tsk." Phos said. She sent another, then another pink laser spike into him until his body went limp. "You had one job." The purple haired assassin gazed upon Blake. "No matter, you fulfilled your purpose well enough. Two down…" She fired an energy spike at Blake. Blake barely dodged with a clone and made it into a dumpster.

"Blake, help is on the way." Weiss said.

"Son of a bitch!" Phos cursed. She bombarded the whole area with lasers. One of them pierced the dumpster and went right through Blake's leg. "Where are you?" Blake covered her mouth to keep from screaming. She squeezed her eyes shut, water ran down them.

"We'll be there in two minutes." Weiss said. No, stay away! Blake wanted to scream.

"God…damn it." Phos stopped. "What now?" She was talking to somebody. Blake's ears perked to listen. "Are you sure you don't want me to just find her and finish her off now?" She must be talking to Vile. "Oh…OH…it's that time already…Why the hell are we going all the way out there?…If we're going to be partners you HAVE to stop keeping me in the dark the whole time…I don't give two shits that it's your thing…If this comes back to bite us in the ass don't say I didn't warn you…Oh really then have Terra show me a body…You know that cockiness is going to get yourself killed….Yeah I still don't get why Tobi is here…I'll see you in a minute." She hung up. "Hear that kitty cat? Looks like you live to fight another day!" She started walking away. "I wonder if she even knows that her family is alive."

Blake sighed in relief. She was alive. And so was her family? The way Phos said it, it was meant to be heard. But what about Yang and Ruby? What was she talking about? Blake sat in that garbage can for two whole minutes before the lights flashed. Weiss stepped from the bullhead.

"Blake?" She called out. Blake flipped out of the dumpster. "Oh my God! Blake!" She ran over to her teammate. "You're hurt." Weiss started wrapping up her torso and leg wounds.

"I'm…fine…have you heard from Yang?"

"No, her scroll was busted after taking down Ashford Fall." Weiss said. "There was an earthquake. Ren went to investigate."

"Did you hear Phos' conversation?" Weiss bit her lip.

"I…I think I know where they're going. But I'm not sure. Either way…we'll need Ruby for this."

"I know." Blake said softly. She squeezed her eyes shut after seeing the limp body that dangled off the building.

"I'm sorry you had to do that."

"Don't be…"

"I will!" Weiss said. "I…hated my father. But seeing him die right in front of me, without any chance of reconciliation, screwed me up. I…I think that's at least one of the reasons I turned out like I did after the war." Weiss sounded more disappointed in herself than anything. "I'm glad your family is alive, if Phos was telling the truth. After this is over, we'll find them. I promise."

"Thanks Weiss." Blake cupped her cheek and pulled her into a hug.

"Anything for you." Weiss said.

 **AN: Adam is officially dead. I wanted Blake to beat him on her own for once. Every other time I've had Adam in a chapter, he's defeated primarily by someone other than Blake: Raven, August, Felix, Sun, Ruby (especially Ruby, jeez chapter 82 of RWBYond Vale was awesome). The bit with Blake's family being alive, I'll find a way to make that work some other time, I just wanted to open the possibility of utilizing those characters now that we're getting them in volume 4. Next Time: Paradise Falls. Be sure to review, follow and favorite.**


	17. Paradise Falls

RWBYond War

 **AN: This is a turning point in the story. No, Vile's secrets aren't getting revealed. But in many ways, this is the end of the second act. I've also been listening to the track Need to Be Strong from Naruto. So, I planned a certain bit around that.**

Chapter 17: Paradise Falls

Jaune was watching with baited breath, the news feed coming over his scroll. Due to the graphic nature of events, he decided it best that the TV stay far away from the news. Helios and Eos were sitting at the table. Eos was drawing a picture while Helios was reading. Tai was in the kitchen making tea. Citrine squirmed and crawled around the couch cushion next to her father.

"Tea is done." Tai said as he came in with a tray of cups.

"Thanks…Tai." Jaune took a cup and sipped at it. Tai picked Citrine up and started cradling her.

"You know, you'll worry yourself sick if you keep watching that."

"I…Ruby and all my friends are fighting for their lives to stop this guy. While we're here drinking tea."

"We're playing our part." Tai put a hand on his shoulder.

"I just wish I could be out there, helping." Jaune lamented.

"You're right where you need to be. Me too. This is your…our family. Your wife is my daughter; your daughter is my granddaughter. Don't let that pure blooded Valean machoism lead you astray. It's common in many families throughout history that the husbands protect the most important things while the women go off and have fun."

"I guess you're right." Jaune said. There was a knock at the door. "Who could that be?" Zwei started growling from the couch.

He walked over to the window to check. He thought it could be any number of people from town. Someone seeing if he was alright with what was going on just across the bay. When he looked out the window he couldn't see anyone. Either it was some kid playing a trick, or it was just too dark out and whoever it was didn't have a flashlight.

"You're the man of the house." Tai said. Jaune's hand went to his sword, the one Ruby had made him. He opened the door to be met with a girl with purple hair.

"Who are you?" Jaune asked.

"My name is Phos." She had her hands up. "So you're Jaune arc." There were footsteps behind him. He turned and saw the armored man, Vile, standing in the hallway.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Vile said with his echoing voice.

"What do you want?" Jaune grabbed the sword.

"Just to talk and buy time for now." He said. He paced around the room. "So this is the Rose House. My mother told me about them. The greatest warriors in Vale. I never knew what she meant until your wife decided to spill all the secrets she could to the world."

"Is that what this is about?"

"Yes and no." Vile said vaguely.

"If you think you can just come in here and make yourself at home, you have another thing coming." Tai cracked his knuckles.

"It would be two on two." Phos said. "Even ig you weren't a pair of washed up huntsmen." She pointed her fingers at the kids. "There's three defenseless bystanders here…do you really want to take that chance?" Her fingers glowed with her pink energy. "Speaking of which, who are you two anyway?"

"Refugees from the same boat I picked you up from." Vile said. "They are of no consequence but can still be useful leverage."

"Stand down." Jaune said as he sheathed his sword.

"And this is Corcea Mors!" Vile sounded a little more excited. "So many legends surrounding this blade. I can tell just from looking at it, even in its current state, it is truly worthy of its origin."

"Acacia Glens." Jaune said. "It's pretty common knowledge that she's the one who forged it."

"She is the one who crafted it for your great-great-grandfather. But it's true origin is a bit more complicated." Jaune raised an eyebrow. He was under the impression that Corcea Mors was just an extremely well made sword. "The blade that cut Salem's hand. Only two other blades were able to do that on that day."

"How would you know that?" Jaune asked. "I don't recall you being there."

"You don't have to be there to hear the legends. Just look at yourself. You've certainly been keeping up with this night."

"I know you put an entire city at risk with a bomb."

"The bomb was Tobi's idea. I have no desire to utilize it. If I wanted to destroy Vale, well, you were there at the start of the Grimm War. You know there are so many more effective ways to take down a city."

"Then what is it you want?" Tai said.

"I thought I made that much obvious Taiyang Xiao Long. All I want is Ruby beaten and broken at my feet."

"That'll never happen." Jaune taunted.

"That's what you think." Vile said clenching his fist. Jaune walked around the hallway and gave a nod to Tai. He had an idea. He needed to fix this situation.

"You're using us as bait?" Tai shouted.

"If need be." Vile answered as he looked Tai in the eyes. "This night has actually gone well so far." He nodded to Phos. Phos went back on the porch and came back in with a thing of gasoline. "Yang and Blake are both down for the count." Tai's face dropped at that news. "Weiss is pregnant, an unforeseen circumstance but a welcomed one."

"Do you want me to…" Phos started.

"Not just yet." Vile waved her down. "Next is to destroy this place. This symbol of security that has stood on this island for over a century. This…shield of heaven…is a constant reminder of the lie shared among the people nowadays."

"What lie would that be?" Tai snarled.

"Cipher…an answer to a question no one has thought to ask. Ruby Rose wants a world without lies yet she is the embodiment of the greatest lie of all…she gives people hope."

"You say that as if it's a bad thing." Jaune said. He had his shot lined up.

"It is if you don't have the necessary caveat."

"Well I think we have plenty." Jaune manifested a canon construct and blasted at them both. Vile managed to dodge as he pulled out two pistols. Phos was blasted through the wall into the snow covered yard. Vile tried batting him with his pistols but Jaune blocked it with his sword.

"You just made a big mistake." Vile said. He pushed forward, forcing Jaune back.

"Tai, take the kids and run!" Jaune pleaded. Vile kicked him in the chest, forcing him into a wall.

"I'll be back." Tai took the kids and ran outside. Jaune pressed the button on his watch, a makeshift set of white and gold armor covered his body and his shield unfolded on his left arm.

"Always wanting to be the hero…you and the Rose deserve each other." Vile hissed. He flipped his pistols around and fired at Jaune. Jaune raised his shield and semblance to protect himself. He charged Vile and bashed him with a shield construct. Vile flipped around with a series of aerial kicks but Jaune blocked them all. Jaune swung his sword around but missed every swing.

Vile definitely had the speed advantage. And with Jaune only being able to use his emergency armor, he had the defensive advantage. But Jaune's semblance made him perfect for any scenario. Jaune swung up and towards his left. Five blade constructs lined up with his arm in an unavoidable attack.

Jaune's attack hit Vile, but it also slashed away at the hallway. Ruby would understand, the house was a battle ground now. Jaune took this opportunity to create a fist construct and punch Vile. Vile blocked it and shot it away with his pistol only to be blindsided by a hammer.

Jaune felt the wind at his back. Phos laser needle swatted at his legs and sides. Jaune was forced to his knee and his face collided with Vile's boot as it unleashed a shotgun blast to his face. He rolled onto his feet and stabbed at Phos with a five-pronged strike. Phos took the blow and as she went through a wall, she fired a volley of lasers.

Jaune blocked them all effortlessly. Then Vile hit him in the back of the head and fired into his back. Jaune spun around to the more pressing threat. He used his semblance to form a shield behind him. Then he pushed forward with a shield bash that did little to stop Vile. The shield turned into a canon and blasted behind Jaune. He was boosted like a rocket into Vile.

Jaune had tackled him through the wall and was now outside. Vile fired his remaining rounds at Jaune, who kept up the advance pushing Vile away from the house. Vile sheathed his pistols with one quick movement and created a blue construct of a great sword. Jaune met it with his own semblance and the two energy swords shattered against each other. Jaune thrust forward with a shield construct only to be met in kind. Jaune's pentagonal shield construct radiated against Vile's dark blue circular one.

Looking at it now Jaune could see the similarities in abilities. Vile's was much more detailed. It also took different shapes than the ones Jaune could manifest. A few thoughts went through Jaune's head. Maybe this guy was related to the Arcs somewhere down the line. It wouldn't be too farfetched. Surely, somewhere out there, there were plenty of people with Arc blood running through their veins. But even if Vile was one of them, his grievance was clearly with Ruby and not with the Arcs.

Jaune spun around to sweep Vile's legs. Vile jumped over the attack and pulled his pistols back out. He pistol-whipped Jaune in the face but before he could fire, Jaune slashed him across the face with a blow that could cleave a deathstalker in half.

The second Vile hit the snow there was an explosion. Jaune's eyes grew wide. Phos must have set the house on fire. Vile started laughing. Jaune charged him again, stabbing downward through his back. Vile's image shattered. He reappeared, punching Jaune in the face.

"All that valor, and where has it gotten you?" Vile taunted.

"It…was just a house." Jaune stood his ground.

"Still, it's symbolic." Vile said. "A house is where a legacy is passed. A house is where the hero comes to relax. It's a safe haven for the huntress. It's the last thing she has in her life that ties her to her cursed clan."

Vile's image shattered again as a volley of lasers ripped through it. Jaune was hit with the full brunt of the attack. Phos swung her energy blade at him and Jaune did his best to block each strike. Vile appeared behind him and kicked his knee out.

"Damn it." Phos said as her energy blade broke and dissipated as it collided with Jaune's aura.

"I told you." Vile kicked Jaune in the face. He spun to his knees and fired a blue canon into Jaune's torso. "His aura rivals that of a maiden. Had you fought him alone, even with his lack of practice, you would have certainly been humiliated."

"The hell I…" Phos was interrupted when a new challenger sent a flying kick to her face.

"You know, you really shouldn't have started a fire." Tai said cracking his knuckles. "Putting me by a flame is like shooting yourself in the foot."

Jaune tackled Vile before he could fire at Tai. Tai focused in on dealing with Phos. Jaune swung his sword furiously against Vile to no avail. Vile uppercut him and kicked him back down. Jaune blocked the kick heading towards his face only to be scooped up by Vile's scythe construct. Vile pulled him in and close lined him.

Jaune furiously blocked blow after blow as Vile swung down at him. He was approaching his limit. Vile was just too much for him. Then in a blinding flash of yellow, Tai tackled the assailant. He matched blows with Vile for a short time. Jaune got back up on his feet just in time to intercept Phos' attacks.

"You're getting old Taiyang." Vile hissed as he caught Tai's punch. Tai's eyes went wide as Vile quickly shot him in the stomach with a skull-round.

"Tai!" Jaune gathered up his energy and sliced Phos across the chest. Phos flew backwards into a tree and was knocked out. Tai dropped to his knees and Vile held th gun up to his head.

"Stop." Vile said flatly. "I have no desire to kill either of you. Taiyang, you…more than anyone else here understand what I'm trying to do. Yet, I cannot fault you. You are just trying to protect your daughter." He looked at Jaune. "Just like you are trying to protect your wife. Well there is no protecting her now." He looked up to the sky.

"Why are you doing this?" Jaune asked. "What did Ruby ever do to deserve this?"

"Hmm…I do wonder about that. Jaune Arc, you fought valiantly. If you would have had Corcea Mors, and not some cheap copy, I wouldn't have been able to so easily gain the upper hand. Not that it would work on someone like me."

"Don't change the subject." Jaune barked.

"Jaune, don't worry about me." Tai said. "If he wanted me dead I'd be dead already."

"So you've caught on." Vile said. "Did you know I haven't actually killed a single person tonight. I've killed before, sure, but I wasn't the one calling the shots like I am tonight. There's only one person I want dead. And I'd be satisfied if she didn't, so long as I know that I'm the one who beat her and broke her. So long as she learns her lesson…my job is done."

"What are you talking about?" Jaune said.

"Here she comes now." Vile said. A red shroud landed at Jaune's side.

"I came here as fast as I could." Ruby said as she stood tall, her hood down. Even though Jaune couldn't see her face, he could tell there was a white fire in her eyes. "Weiss is swinging by to pick up the kids now."

"Welcome to the dawning of the final act Rose."

"I missed you back at the factory."

"No, you got me alright. I just managed to escape. Didn't want to end things prematurely."

"You're going to pay for what you've done."

"Instead of focusing on what I've done…" He held Tai as a hostage. "You should be worried about what I can do. You're going to lose tonight Rose. And when you do, I will make sure no one remembers the lies you believe in so whole-heartedly."

"When you lose, I'll make sure everyone knows just who I beat."

"So, we are at an impasse then. Good thing I know exactly what it is you fear the most." He kicked Tai over to her. Ruby ran forward but it was too late. The skull-round ripped through his chest. He landed in Ruby's arms, gasping for breath.

"NO!" Ruby screamed. She froze up with her father dying in her arms. Her hand glowed with maiden powers to try to seal the wound. "No." She chanted over again.

"You made me do this." Vile said as he disappeared. "Remember that." Jaune and Ruby's scrolls both went off with an audio message from an unknown source.

"I have been watching all the events tonight." Tobi said over the speaker. "It is just as I predicted. Death will come to all who follow you. Vile has drawn first blood. Your sister, and the Faunas, if they have not yet crossed into Oblivion then they are well on their way. Your husband was powerless to protect your home…" Jaune grabbed both their scrolls and smashed them.

"Don't listen to him." Jaune knelt and grabbed his wife's face. "We can do this…together."

"It's all gone Jaune." She cried into his chest and he cradled her.

"No it isn't. Vale is still in danger. Vile doesn't want to use the bomb but Tobi's the one with his thumb on the trigger. We can still do this."

"I can't…I can't bare it." She grabbed her chest.

"Don't cry…" Tai whispered. "It's…better…than the alternative." He choked out.

"Daddy I'm so sorry." She pleaded. Her magic fading around the gaping wound.

"Save your strength." He grabbed her hand and pushed it away. "Only in a time of peace, will children bury their fathers." He sighed. "Summer…I did it…I did my best to protect them…I can come to you with open arms now."

"Dad…" Ruby whimpered. She tried screaming as Tai's eyes shut and he breathed his last breath. She nearly succeeded, but Jaune held her tight against his chest. Ruby's frozen tears stained his hoodie.

"Now is not the time to mourn." Jaune said. "You can still catch him." Jaune said. "I'm going to meet up with Rubrum and Weiss. I need my sword back. My real sword."

"I understand." She stood resolutely. With a wave of her hand, snow covered the burning house. They stared at each other again. Jaune took the initiative and cupped her face, wiping the tears from her face. He pulled her into a deep kiss. Jaune's heart fluttered, but Ruby's end felt hollow. He couldn't blame her. She just lost her father.

"Go." He said as he broke the kiss. Ruby lifted off with a sonic boom. Jaune walked over to the charred remains of their home. For the next few minutes, he picked up every piece of Corcea Mors, and set them in a bag. It was a sword meant for monsters and monsters alone. Jaune had set it aside in favor of life of a househusband. Now was not the time for that though. He had to set aside the civilian and become the huntsman once again.

He gathered up the sword and shield pieces. Then dug through the house to find his old set of armor. Perhaps, with Rubrum working on it, he could ask for a few upgrades. Something heavier so he didn't have to rely on his semblance to deal with skull-rounds. Maybe some nice trimming, something a bit more stylish? Obviously, he wouldn't put a gun or anything on it. He wouldn't even really know how to use it like that. He needed to wear his best. Ruby was counting on him. He had to be strong for her. Just like how she was always so strong for him.

 **AN: The third act begins. Jaune is getting back into the fight, Tai is dead and Ruby is beyond pissed. Next Time: This same span of time and a little bit more from Weiss' perspective. We're coming down to the wire on this story. Please review, follow and favorite.**


	18. Resolve

RWBYond War

 **AN: Happy Halloween! So, this chapter overlaps with the previous chapter time wise. It's also weird tonally. I think that's actually a problem with a lot of my writing though. So many chapters lack a consistent tone. This chapter may also end up having quite a bit of padding.**

Chapter 18: Resolve

Weiss sat at the desk, a cup of coffee in her hand. She had been sitting like this for hours now. This had been such a long night. Between Cipher's agents, drones and tanks, everyone in the city had their work cut out for them.

"It's amazing that the Grimm haven't been a problem for once." Rubrum said. Weiss switched to the tab, one of hundreds open on her seven-screen computer, that showed a map of Vale and where the Grimm were.

"That is odd." She said. The Grimm were moving, but they were doing so slowly. They were marching aimlessly in all directions. Some younger ones had rushed in from Emerald Forest only to be slaughtered. "I would expect them to be patient. But this isn't patience."

"I've never seen Grimm behave like this. Something is actually wrong with them."

"Is this an effect from us still feeling the aftershocks of the Hecatonchires?"

"No it isn't." Rubrum said.

"Come in command." Ren called in.

"Go ahead Ren." Rubrum said. He used ALS to spy on Ren's location.

"I think I found Yang." He said.

"W-What?" Weiss stuttered. Her heart sank, fearing the worse. She slid to the screen showing ALS POV. The street was wrecked and nearly nonexistent.

"Shell casings, and her broken scroll." Ren said. "She was definitely here."

"You don't think she was captured…do you?" Weiss dreaded.

"If she was, we'd know." Rubrum said. He was typing away at something in intense concentration. "Tobi or Vile would have let us know."

"He's right." Ren said. "This patch of stone was laid back down." Ren said.

"No." Weiss imagined Yang's lifeless body buried in a makeshift tomb. Her heart beat fast and she squeezed her eyes shut. They jerked open at the sound of something breaking through the stone.

"For thousands of years I laid dormant." Yang said. "Who has disturbed my slumber!"

"She's fine." Ren said.

"Tell her…" Weiss started. She then took over ALS' speaker function. "God Damn it Yang. We were worried sick about you."

"Yeah, not gonna lie, not my brightest moment. And if I'm going to be completely honest…if I see that little brat again I'm going to shove my fist so far up her…"

"Yang." Ren said.

"What, I didn't mean in a murder-y way."

"That makes it worse." Ren sighed.

"Also, I know, kind of a dick move, but I may have been laying there for a while just waiting to be rescued so I could use that line."

"You did what?" Weiss shouted.

"Speaking of which, I need a rundown on what's going on." Yang said.

"Blake is in critical condition in the hospital. Ruby is chasing down airships. That's…actually about it."

"Ballin'" Yang said. "So, did you like that line, or should I have gone with… 'When there's no more room in hell, Yang shall walk the earth!' Well, Ice Queen?"

"Now is not the time for games Yang." Weiss scolded.

"I prefer the first one." Ren said.

"Yes!" Yang cheered.

"Yang, focus!" Weiss scolded.

"What, it's not like we're fighting anyone who's really that tough."

"You nearly died!"

"Yeah, and I basically let that Ash kid wail on me for about ten minutes before I beat him in one punch. Even then, I nearly beat that Terra chic. All that was after I took out a hundred plus guys."

"YES!" Rubrum said. He wheel chair shot backward and he threw his hands in the air.

"Rubrum just hit something." Weiss said. "The two of you go and secure the southeast quadrant." Weiss said. She turned to her partner in technology. "What is it?"

"I just used my own modification of the Black Queen virus to screw over Cipher's whole network." He cheered.

"Really?" Weiss said amazed.

"Take a look." Rubrum turned one of his screens. There was a video of police battling mercenaries and robots. Then the robots turned on the mercenaries.

"Rubrum you're amazing." Weiss wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. "Sorry." She said. "Eat shit and die Briggs!"

"I warned him that he was not beating me." Rubrum said. "It's all here…except…nothing on Vile's identity."

"That's okay." Weiss said. "We just crippled his forces."

"And made Vale the most heavily fortified kingdom in Remnant."

"Though, we're probably taking these tanks with us back to Atlas."

"Naturally." Rubrum said. "So, they still have access to our scrolls. But it's one way. They can only take them over to send messages."

"That's good. The more shit that they talk, the easier it would be to find them."

"Speaking of talking…you're getting an incoming call." Rubrum said. Weiss looked back at her screen.

"It's from Mr. Xiao Long." She answered it. "Hey Mr. Xiao Long, I was just going to call you…"

"There's no time for that." He said frantically. "Vile, he's here on Patch. We need to get these kids out of here."

"What?" Weiss said. "Where are you?"

"Granny Glens." He said. "Jaune is holding Vile off at his house now. I'm going back for him. Hurry and get these kids to safety."

"I'll send a ship." Weiss said.

"There aren't any available." Rubrum said.

"Then I'll take mine." Weiss resolved.

"I'm coming with you then." Rubrum said. "We can move our little hub to my house with ease."

"Good thinking." Weiss had nearly forgotten that Patch was his home too once upon a time.

Weiss and Rubrum got to the ship in no time and sent Ruby a message letting her know what was going on. Weiss' ship was pretty fast and got to the island in minutes. All the while praying that Ruby make it in time to save Jaune.

Patch was beautiful in all times of the year, Weiss thought. It was known as a spring resort. Fitting, sense legends say it was created by the original spring maiden to be a safe place for people. But Weiss thought there was nothing more beautiful than a forest covered in snow.

She dropped Rubrum went off to his home to get them all set up. Then Weiss swung by the store to meet up with the kids. She then decided to wait for Jaune to get back. She acquainted herself with the Glens family, once known as one of the most powerful clans in Vale, now living the life of farmers and nothing more. Then Weiss received the message that Tai was dead, Ruby was in pursuit and he needed Rubrum. So, Weiss told him where Rubrum was.

"Let's go." She said. She wrapped Citrine up in a blanket before exiting the store towards the ship. Citrine didn't look too much like either parent. Perhaps that was for the best. She smiled down at the infant Argentware. She prayed that her child would get along better with Citrine than Weiss had initially with Ruby. Having each other in their lives would surely help that. Though, Weiss didn't want to leave Atlas and there was no way Ruby would leave Patch.

"Alright Ms. Schnee." Helios groaned. As soon as they stepped out in the cold Weiss went on ahead to get Citrine secured. Helios and Eos were saying their farewells to Daisy and trying to see how many muffins they can fit in their pockets.

"Let's go!" Weiss shouted annoyed. Helios stepped out followed by Eos. Then, Weiss heart sank, as the earth came up around Helios leg.

"What the…?" He started. A boulder flew in and smashed Weiss' cockpit.

"Going somewhere." A blonde girl stepped out. "I thought you'd never step out." Weiss grabbed her rapier. She sliced the stone away from Helios foot. There was no way her ship was lifting off in that state.

"Kids, run!" She said. Then a rock dome came up over both kids. Weiss moved to destroy it only to be hit with a flying rock.

"Weiss!" Daisy stepped out.

"Out of my way Glens." Terra said. She threw a volley of rocks into the Daisy, and some of them ripped through the store. "Your powers are useless this time of year and you don't have a weapon." She surrounded Daisy with large rocks, capturing her. Daisy burst out with her aura and charged the young girl. Terra blocked her punch effortlessly and smacked a boulder into her. Daisy and the boulder went all the way through to the other side of the store.

"Let them go!" Weiss shouted as she lunged for a stab. Her blow connected but Terra took it in stride.

"Just give it up snow queen." Terra taunted. "You couldn't even beat Phos in your current state. You don't stand a chance against me." Weiss blade stabbed into a rock wall that then collided with her.

"I know…" Weiss said as she staggered up. Blood ran down her face. Her aura wasn't strong enough to tank that blow. Not right now with it being absolutely on the fritz from her pregnancy. "But I have to. I can't just let you take these kids away."

"Those two are of little consequence. It's you and the baby that I'm here for." Terra pulled up more chunks of the ground.

"Very well." Weiss resolved. "Then I'll just have to fight with everything I got." Weiss summoned a massive dread knight that smashed through the rocks. Terra blocked it and sent numerous stone shards into the summon. Weiss stood her ground as her servant fell backwards. Terra created a stone golem of her own. The knight stood up and cleaved the golem's arm off. Then the golem took its other arm and punched through the apparition.

Blood ran from Weiss nose as she focused all her energy into her summoning. She cast an apparition of Chrome Blackwater, Emerald Sustrai and the Grimoire Panic. Weiss vision became strained and her lungs struggled to find air. Her muscles ached and her heart raced as she threw all of her repertoire at her opponent.

The golem collapsed but took the knight with it. The fake Emerald sliced at Terra with great speed before being destroyed by a boulder coming from underneath it. The fake Chrome landed a single blow before being rammed with another boulder. The fake Panic managed to scoop her up and hit her twice. With a shriek of terror, the summoning clouded Terra's vision enough for Weiss to use some dust to restrain her.

Terra screamed in frustration as a boulder smashed the ice around her. It circled around her, gathering more stones from the area as it did. Terra sent them all at Weiss. Weiss retaliated by throwing up a shield glyph that gave way almost instantly, the rocks smashing into her.

"You're good." Terra said. "I would have liked to have you at your best. But we still have some things to do tonight. So it's better I don't have to try very hard."

"I will not be spoken about as some kind of warm up." Weiss staggered to her feet. "I am Weiss Schnee, president of the SDC. One of the most powerful people in Remnant."

"And tonight you've been reduced to a secretary." Terra said. "Now not even…" She was shut up as Weiss blasted her with lightning dust. Terra rolled onto her feet. She called up numerous boulders to her side and sent them at Weiss one after another. Weiss dodged one and cut the other away. Then, the others hit her. Her aura shattered on the last one. As she blacked out, she could feel rocks surrounding her body.

"You're coming with me." Terra cooed. "And there's nothing you can do anymore."

 **AN: Weiss and the kids are kidnapped. This chapter ended up way shorter than I anticipated. Mostly because I skimmed over Weiss' interacting with the kids and Daisy. Next Time: a chapter I added in to make this story 26 chapters without the epilogue. It involves Qrow. Please review.**


	19. Eyes on the Prize

RWBYond War

 **AN: I just realized that like, none of the fights so far have ended all that well for the heroes. That ends now, sort of, maybe next chapter…no? Dang it. Maybe? You'll just have to keep reading to find out. This is a chapter I came up way late in the planning for this story.**

Chapter 19: Eyes on the Prize

Qrow fluttered through the air in his bird form. He had just gotten word that Vile was on Patch. Ruby managed to outpace him, and Weiss had taken an airship and sped off ahead of him. So he relegated himself as backup. One final hero to seal the deal. Or at the very least, intercept Vile if he tries escaping.

Too bad he couldn't see through this damn storm. Even with the Branwen Spectacle, things were hazy. It didn't help that he had to fly in a zigzag to make sure Vile didn't slip past him. He also couldn't use his scroll in this form, so for all he knew Ruby had already caught him and dealt with him.

He heard the whizzing sound first. A turn of his head and he found his target. A ship heading eastward towards Vale. Qrow flapped his wings as hard as he could. He fought against the blistering snow to catch up with the ship. With the spectacle, he could see two people in the cockpit. An armored man and a pink haired girl.

Qrow huffed as he flew above the speeding ship. He changed to his human form and drove his sword into the hull. Vile quickly retaliated with a pair of bullets. Qrow dodged them and fired a shotgun shell that ripped through the cockpit.

Another bullet flew at Qrow's head, but he managed to evade it. He fell off the ship and transformed again. This time he flew towards the wing. As he transformed, he changed to his scythe and drove the curved blade into the wing. From the new angle, he blasted through the window. Both occupants dodged but the console was hit. Vile stepped onto the hull of the ship. His boots glowed as they magnetically locked to the top.

"Qrow Branwen…I wasn't expecting to deal with you so soon." He said.

"Well I'm the last person you'll deal with." Qrow taunted. He could see the lights of the city straight ahead. He was at a disadvantage at this setting, but soon the arena would change.

"Everyone keeps saying something along those lines. It gets real hard to believe after a while." Qrow sized him up. He could see the armor swirling with all kinds of energy. It was hard to distinguish what was the suit and what was the man inside. All the energy was contained, thick, potent. He had an untapped potential, a boundless energy. It was so strange yet familiar to Qrow.

"Just who the hell are you?" Qrow asked.

"It doesn't matter who I am. I am the huntress' reckoning." He looked out over the city. "After tonight…I think I'm going to have to head over to Dragna. It would be a shame to have Nevermore be the last remaining member of Team STRQ for too long."

"Tai?" Qrow's heart sank. Without even thinking he fired the gun on his scythe. Vile kicked the pellets out of the air with the shotgun on his ankle. He fired his pistol at Qrow, causing the headmaster to fall back. Qrow changed his weapon and put all his effort into a swing. The blade beam cut the ship in half.

It crashed down into the snow drifted city below. Vile rolled off it unscathed. Qrow landed elegantly on the adjacent rooftop. Phos stumbled out of the wreckage and staggered on her feet. She pulled out her needle blade but Vile waved her off.

"Go, you're in no condition to fight right now."

"But I can help…" Phos argued.

"Leave the Branwen to me." Vile barked. "Get back to Tobi. He'll need you as the final line is drawn."

"Fine…but if you get yourself killed, it's no one's fault but yours." She ran off. Qrow tried intercepting her with a lunging sword swing aimed at her head but he was blocked half way by Vile. Vile planted his foot in Qrow's chest and used his torso as a ramp to kick him in the face with a shotgun kick.

As Qrow was flung backwards he recognized one thing. Vile's little shot gun boots were using the same gauge as his scythe. Qrow didn't know whether or not to be flattered. Vile did seem like the kind of guy who strived to be the best after all.

"Your opponent is me." Vile said as he got in a combat stance. "I've always wanted to kill a headmaster. But you're more of a stool pigeon aren't you."

"What did you say about Tai earlier?" Qrow asked with a scowl.

"I did what I had to." Vile said softly. "You should understand. You're all about following Ozpin's lead. To hell with what anyone else thinks. Well, Ozpin is gone and he's not coming back for a very long time."

"If that's supposed to get me down, you have another thing coming. All it's doing is pissing me off." Qrow dashed forward swinging his sword at Vile. Vile elegantly dodged each swing. Qrow tried catching him with a back handed stroke. But Vile blocked it with a shield construct then blasted Qrow in the back with a canon construct.

"We're not too different." Vile said. "We're both tied to Cipher. You are a Branwen, the purest heir to the knowledge of Cipher's founder. I am the Seerlivey, destined hunter of hunters."

"The hell if I know anything about that." Qrow mused. He fired a shotgun shell. This time Vile dodged it. Just as Qrow had expected, he favored sliding to his left. Qrow blocked the right jab and sent his foot into Vile's side.

Qrow pushed forward. He had Vile backpedaling. The commander was obviously trying to conserve his aura for the coming fight. Vile boosted himself into the air with a shotgun kick and pulled out his pistols. He spun around firing down at Qrow. Thanks to his eyepiece, he saw each bullet as if it were a slow-moving fly. He swatted all the dust rounds away, but Vile took advantage of the split second of blindness to flank him.

Qrow took a kick and punch to the side. Vile back flipped as he fired his pistols yet again. He skirted around back and forth, aided by a blue energy that formed what appeared to be wings. The soles of his boots ignited in a blue flame, rocketing him towards Qrow. The attack was meant to break a guard. Qrow saw every movement and close lined him with a sword strike.

Vile tumbled into a brick wall ungracefully. Then Qrow went up in a dark blue pillar of energy as the aura bomb went off. Vile must have stuck it to his sword or at his feet as he was close lined. Vile stood back up as Qrow dropped to his knees, supported by his sword.

"It's a shame really." Vile said. "Dying so easily. You won't even live to see why it came to this. Take comfort knowing though, that you will not live to see your favored niece fall."

"You're right." Qrow coughed out. "I won't…because she won't."

"Everyone keeps saying that." Vile's glowing eyes narrowed on his cowl. "Everyone keeps saying that I'm not good enough to beat her. But look what I've done. Look at all the people who are dead or wounded because of me."

"I've met a lot of people in my day. When you travel, and teach as much as I have…" His weapon started changing forms. "You see a lot of trends…" The weapon started extending. "You know what you are?" The weapon finished. "Someone with a lot to prove."

"Damn right I do." Vile said. "It's time the heroes learned their lesson." Blue blurs appeared around Vile. They condensed and formed perfect hard light clones of him. This could be an issue.

"Well, class is in session and now I'M your teacher. Today's lesson…getting your ass kicked 101."

The Viles ran at Qrow. The first flung a knee into his shaft. Qrow jabbed forward catching him in the throat and he exploded on impact. Leaving a digitized shatter in his wake. Several clones were in kill range so in a single lightning fast swing of his scythe, they were ripped apart. As Qrow reversed his grip to swing again, a clone kicked him in the knee and another one punched him in the face. He used the blows momentum for a backhanded swing that sent a clone skyward, fizzing out of existence as he left the ground.

Qrow slammed his scythe to the ground with an overhand strike. One clone was split in half by the strike, but another one managed to jump out of the way. Qrow blasted him with his shotgun destroying it. Another clone landed on his scythe and did a back-flip kick to Qrow's face.

Qrow staggered backwards. A clone kicked him across the chest. He tried swinging his scythe, but one of them closed the distance and blocked it. Qrow was hit by a few dust rounds in the back. He flipped over his own shaft to kick a pair of the clones in the face. He swung his scythe around from that position taking out three more. With a blade beam, he cut the one who shot him in half.

He looked around. All the clones were gone. Then he saw some blue squares floating, but could only see them out of his false eye. He swung at the apparition, earning a shocked grunt from Vile. Vile rolled back onto his feet and leaped away from Qrow's blade beams.

Vile fired a cable up to a rooftop and ran along the wall of the building. He fired down at Qrow with each step. Qrow held his fire, not willing to risk hitting any civilians that may be inside. He leaped up into the air, changing into his bird form to dodge the Taser wire. He changed back but missed the slash at Vile's neck.

Vile thrust his foot upward, kicking Qrow in the chin. He fired from his gauntlets to continue going skyward. He then kicked Qrow in the neck, sending him through the window. He landed in a building that was occupied with some twenty something girls. The shrieked as he wrecked their little get together.

"Ladies." Qrow have a polite, yet punch drunk bow.

"Get over here." Vile said as he wrapped the Taser wire around Qrow and pulled him out. Qrow used the force of the pull to Smash Vile into the next building. Vile landed an elbow to Qrow's head, smacking him down. Qrow felt a palm strike hit him in the cheek, crashing him through another wall.

"Did someone get the number of that bitch?" Qrow mumbled outward.

"You're out of your league old man." Vile cracked his knuckles.

"I'm NOT old!" Qrow shouted. He changed back into his sword form and rushed Vile. He connected a stab to the chest and kept Vile backpedaling. He swung with a force that split the road for a block. He swung again, swinging right through a light pole. Vile landed on the precarious pole.

"Impressive." He clapped. "It's the weapon, isn't it? Not the aging huntsman using it." Qrow jumped up to take him down a peg. Vile back flipped sending the pole into Qrow. Qrow was hit with the copper pipe, then Vile bore down on him with several shotgun kicks. Qrow's aura shattered but Vile kept it up with an arm breaking kick.

"Damn it!" Qrow staggered backwards. Vile put his fingers to his cowl.

"Yes…Really? Good. Go ahead, I need it." A pod landed behind Vile. It had a machine in it. Qrow tried rushing him as he restocked on rounds but Vile punched him in the throat. The machine hooked up to Vile's armor, dozens of shell casings were ejected and replenished. Qrow reloaded his pistols.

"I'm not finished yet." Qrow said switching hands.

"I just got word that my subordinate has returned to our base. We have your great-niece, as well as the Schnee and those two kids the Rose has picked up." Vile raised his gun. "Take the rest of the night off." In a flash the skull-round ripped through Qrow's leg. "While you're at it…take the rest of eternity off."

Qrow's life flashed in his eyes. He thought about Tai, presumed dead. He thought about Raven. For a thought, he thought they were sharing their experience. He thought of his nieces and great-niece. They would have to carry on without him now. He thought of Ren, poor boy, he'd be next in line to be headmaster. He thought of Summer, sweet, innocent, lovely Summer. Qrow had tried his hardest, but he never could find someone who could even compare to her grace, will and beauty. Ruby came close on two of those counts. But she was Summer's daughter after all.

Then, in a blinding flash he saw her. Silver eyes radiating like before. Everything seemed black and white in that moment. Like, there was nothing but the two of them. As the color came back, Qrow could see more clearly. It was not a white cape. It was a red one.

Qrow recalled that night, all those years ago. He had saved Ruby and Yang from the jaws of death. Yang had made a terrible decision that put her life at risk. This time, it was a strange role reversal. For the first time, really, Ruby Rose had come to save him. And just like when he rescued her as a little girl, it was quick, quicker than even Qrow's well trained eyes could register. In that moment, Qrow was reminded why he did what he did. It was because of her, the Rose family…and the Branwens that watched over them.

 **AN: Here we go. I'm so glad I put this even in. Qrow did not get enough awesome stuff to do in RWBYond Vale. At least not when compared to Raven. Next Time: The final fight between Vile and Ruby? Or just round one of many? Keep reading to find out.**


	20. Gridlock

RWBYond War

 **AN: So, this chapter is going to be pretty freaking cool. It's starting from a minute or so before the end of last chapter. I have been pumped for at least one part of this chapter ever since I announced this story.**

Chapter 20: Gridlock

Ruby flew through the air. Her maiden powers coursed through her veins as she cleared the storms from her path. She had to keep her eyes on the prize. She had to take down Vile now. She…she couldn't let him take anyone else away from her. Her dad… She clutched her chest and swallowed the primal scream that was ready to escape her heart. There would be a time to mourn. Right now, she just had to focus on bringing down the bastard that did this.

"Ruby…" Rubrum said. "I'm set up on Patch. But, there's going to be a bit more of a delay between us. The Patch relay station isn't as strong as Beacon Tower."

"That's fine." Ruby choked out.

"I…I know you're in a lot of turmoil. But I promise you we will end this before the night is over."

"Thank you…Rubrum."

"Jaune just showed up." Rubrum said. "He's going to be on the radio for a while. He asked me if I could re-forge his sword for him so he can help." Ruby could hear a ruffling of a mic.

"How are you holding up honey?" Jaune's voice said.

"A lot better now that I can hear your voice sweetie." Ruby said. "How's Citrine?"

"She's…. She's with Weiss." Jaune said. "I guess… they're fine." Ruby could sense some hesitation in his voice.

"Jaune, where's my baby?"

"Weiss was picking her up. They haven't called in yet. I'm starting to get worried to, but that's just the parent in us. Right? She's fine. I guarantee it."

"You're right." Ruby said. "Thank you."

"Alright, report coming in from near the docks." Jaune said. "It's…your uncle took down Vile's ship!"

"Is Vile dead?" Ruby asked.

"No one is dead." Jaune said. "Qrow's fighting him now."

Ruby felt a sharp ping in her chest. No, she couldn't let them fight alone. She had to get there now. She boosted as fast as she could. So fast that, the incoming radio message was warped from the breaking sound barrier. She spotted them easy enough. She could see Qrow staggering, beaten and bloody. Vile shot him through the leg. She pulled out all stops, and deflected the bullet aimed for his chest.

"So, you finally caught up." Vile said. "You managed to save your uncle. Shame you couldn't extend that curtesy to your fath…" Ruby interrupted him with a lightning blast but he absorbed it. "Right to the point."

Ruby feigned left then right. Vile matched her, keeping her from flanking him. He left blue motion trails as he did so. She fired behind her and used her semblance to slam strait into him. He went flying into a building. A dark blue blast came from the hole in the building right at her. Ruby flipped to dodge it only to be kicked in the cheek from her right.

She stopped her movement with her scythe and fired into him. The one who had kicked her was a clone and shattered as such. Vile reappeared above her and punched her other cheek. Ruby recomposed herself and blocked Vile's extended combo of punches and kicks. She sped to his right to get him to try blocking; then she appeared on his left and hit him with a palm strike. A palm strike that would have taken a normal man's head off, but to Vile, all it did was send him crashing through a wall.

"Okay Ruby." Jaune said. "Are you wearing the new outfit Weiss made for you last year?"

"Yep." Ruby answered. Sure, it looked like the one she started wearing when she started dating Jaune, but it was built with the same materials as Rubrum's suit.

"Impressive." Vile said. "At least for a normal huntress. But we both know you're not a normal huntress." He came out of the rubble seemingly unscathed. Ruby called the power of nature to her side and sent a tangle of roots and vines to smash into him. There was no escaping this barrage. But Vile created a shield construct and then turned it into a giant scythe that sliced through the mess.

"Hey!" Ruby unearthed the piece of sidewalk he was on. "That's my thing." Vile skid through the air with a set of wing constructs as he dodged the magic attack.

"Do you even use it for reaping?" Vile asked. Ruby jet forward with her semblance and popped up behind him. He followed her every movement and blocked the kick with his forearms. It still caused him to crash in the street.

"As a matter of fact I do." Ruby said. She called all the petals she left behind and caused them to explode around Vile. "Jaune is quite the gardener.

"Thanks babe." Jaune said. "Ruby, I'm using ALS to scan him. Let's see if I can find a weakness."

"I'll tell you his weakness, I'm stronger than him." Ruby affirmed.

"Wait Ruby, bad idea." Ruby rushed down and saw the feint blue sigil on the ground. Ruby barely pulled up in time for the aura bomb to graze her.

"Yeah, I'm not going to say I told you so." Jaune said. Ruby landed on the road. Then, Vile's hands came up and grabbed her ankles. He pulled her to the ground and a clone kicked her in the face with its shotgun boots. The one in the road disappeared leaving the one that kicked her.

"Good, because otherwise you'd sleep on the couch." Ruby said. Then she remembered her home, the only real home she ever knew was burned to the ground. "Or…" Vile sped towards her. She blocked his punch with the shaft of his scythe. She slammed the pointed tail end into his side causing him to back off.

"We can stay anywhere we want." Jaune said. "You name it." His words caused her to smile. Then ruby felt a shotgun kick to the back of her head.

Ruby flew into the clone and batted it away. As she engaged Vile again she picked up something. No wonder Qrow was beaten. Scythes were already just about the worst weapon to fight someone with. Vile made it worse by having trained against scythes. He did say he knew her moves.

Vile tried firing at her. Ruby maneuvered around the bullets as she changed her scythe into its war-scythe mode. She swept it around her body in fluid motions. Vile was forced to stay mobile and back. All his bullets were either dodged or deflected. Ruby made sure the skull-rounds didn't hit her scythe. That would just make her night even worse. So she used the nano-fibers in her outfit, patented by Rubrum, to stop the skull-rounds.

Vile grunted in frustration as he leaped towards Ruby. He tried smashing her with a hammer construct but it was blocked by Ruby's weapon. He spun around and kicked Ruby in the chest but she took it in stride and hit him with an ice blast. His foot froze and she blasted him in the neck with a lightning-round from her gun. He tried punching her but she hooked around it with her weapon and threw him. She dashed behind him and smashed his shoulder with her full strength. She finished off the combo with a kickback enhanced slash to his chest.

"Alright analysis is complete." Jaune said. "You just dislocated his arm. This guy's a pin cushion. He's got plates and screws everywhere."

"Weaknesses?"

"More like reinforcements. He's built like a tank."

"How is there someone this strong?"

"Hey, I take offense to that. Maidens aren't invincible you know."

"So…" Vile hissed. "This is the power of the Rose." He snapped his arm back into place. "Make no mistake. This power does not make you better than me."

"No, the fact that I'm not a sociopath does." Ruby flew in all directions, watching his head jerk around as he tracked her. With a smile on her face, she manipulated the rose petals to create a decoy that flanked him to his left while she went straight for him.

He pivoted to his left, and as soon as he did she created another decoy. He shot through the first decoy, scattering the petals. He shotgun kicked her and with his other arm, he shot the second decoy. Only, the second decoy was prime to explode. With a twitch of magic, Ruby used the explosion to stun him and cover the roadway with steam.

"You can't hide from me." He scowled. Clones went in all directions. Ruby smashed into one, destroying it in an instant. She skidded to a stop, ducking right under his pistol. She called her powers up once again to launch him on a rock rocket, a rock-et as Yang would say. Ruby slammed her hands to the ground to create a massive tree that ripped through the clones. She could sense Vile landing on top of the tree, so she made it explode.

"Take that!" She quickly calculated his trajectory and intercepted him only to take a massive sword construct to the face. She dashed around the seco9nd swing and stabbed at Vile. He blocked it with his shield construct. She moved to dash around him but was intercepted with a canon construct.

Ruby was blasted onto an adjacent building. Vile pursued, boosting himself with his winged construct. Ruby blocked his next attack by summoning a wall of green flame to burn away the dust rounds he fired. She threw the fire like a whip at him but he dodged. He responded with his own taser whip. It wrapped around Ruby's legs, so he pulled her in and kicked her in the chest. He fired a canon at her but she flew into the air to evade.

Sadly, the whip was still tied to her legs so he easily pulled her down. She grabbed the whip, ignoring the pain of the electric pulses, and pulled him into a scythe powered close line. He tripped over the parapet and she dashed behind him to bat him back down to the ground.

He rolled over his shoulder to get back on his feet. He pulled out his guns and started firing up at her. The bullets were like slugs to her. There was no way they could even touch her. She recalled that her grandmother had once been dubbed untouchable. Though, that wasn't ultimately true, it did take an ultimate kind of evil to finally bring her down. Vile wasn't that. He was just a man. He would fail like all men like him do.

She sped around his obvious trap and passed him up. He braced himself to fight the vacuum she left behind. He covered himself with clones to keep the exploding rose petals from harming him as they passed.

Ruby flew down the street far away from him. She did a perfect one eighty and barreled back towards him. Her eyes glowed pure silver outlined in green. The road peeled up behind her. Thousands upon thousands of rose petals manifested from her aura. Cars, street lights, snow and ice all flowed in her wake. Even loose parts of building were pulled off their hinges.

If Vile's LED eyes could go wide, they were. He created clones and shields to brace himself from the attack that covered every nook and cranny of the battle ground. The constructs were destroyed on impact. A car hit the real Vile. Ruby sliced through the vehicle, grinding the blade across Vile's armor as well. She readjusted her weapon and sent the small spear end into Vile's sternum, where there was a gap in the armor for flexibility.

She smashed him into one of the warehouses on the docks. She dashed upwards as all the debris and everything smashed into the building. Ruby landed in the snow-covered pathway and used all her powers to make the entire amalgamation explode in a series of green flashes and flames.

"Holy shit Ruby." Jaune said. "That was incredible."

"Thank you Kraken, for making me that much more of a badass." Ruby cheered. "Now that that's taken care of…" Ruby was stopped when a massive blue fist struck her in the face.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THIS GUY!" Jaune yelled.

"We're not finished." Vile hissed. His suit was cracked and sparking. The giant mech construct flickered before shattering. Ruby tried running towards him but couldn't build up the speed. She overdid that last attack.

"How…how are you still alive?" Ruby said.

"Don't sound so disappointed." Vile groaned. The LED lights on his display flickered in and out. Ruby dashed towards him only to be punched to the ground.

"I can use that strategy now." Ruby said as she dodged a shotgun stomp.

"His suit seems to be feeding into that strength. Take that away and he should be easy."

"Not on your life!" Vile shouted as he shot ALS from the air.

"ALS!" Ruby said.

"That thing was pissing me off." Vile said. Ruby swung her scythe but Vile ducked underneath it and fired a volley of shots into her. She dodged and shrugged them off. He kicked at her shins and punched the heavy end of her scythe. As she went lopsided, he blasted her feet with a flickering canon construct. Ruby fell to the ground and was engulfed in an aura bomb.

"Ruby, I can still see you." Jaune said. "Yang and Blake are on the way."

"You have lived up to my expectations." Vile said. He kicked her scythe far away. "Bold, powerful, selfless, easy to goad. But now look at you." He put his heavy boot to her throat. "Just like I said…beaten…and broken."

"I'm not done yet." Ruby tried punching his leg. It buckled a bit from the force but not enough.

"I killed your father. Burned down your ancestral home. Your friends are scattered or wounded…or both. And now, I have your daughter and partner."

"What?" Ruby's eyes went wide. Her whole world crumbled and scattered right there. "You bastard! If you hurt her, I'll KILL YOU!" She screamed. He fired two rounds into her chest. But they were stopped by her Ebony Armor.

"Just as I thought, Ebony Armor. Neat stuff. Would be standard issue for huntsmen if it didn't cost a fortune to make." Vile said. "That is of course…" He leaned down close to her. "You know…" He put the gun right underneath her ribcage to her left. "Just…where to…shoot." He pulled the trigger. Ruby's vision went white with pain. She could feel blood coming from the wounded. Her head felt dizzy. But she ignored the burning pain in her side.

"If you touch my baby…I'm going to rip you, limb from limb." Ruby said deliriously.

"You don't have to worry about that." Vile said. "Maybe I'll take her in. Raise her as my own. I could use an apprentice. I could be to her what the Branwen was to you. She'd be the Spring Maiden to. Imagine what kind of power we could unlock together. Of course, Terra would be pissed but…she'd get over it. Or who knows, maybe there's a way to extract maiden powers without killing someone. Or well…I can't constantly watch them both." He chuckled.

"If you so much as touch her…"

"Empty threats from a broken soul." He said.

"Why are you doing this?" Ruby asked. "Who are you?"

"What am I? I am your worst nightmare. You'll live this round Ruby Rose."

"Ruby, help is almost there." Jaune said.

"Because when I beat you, I want to make sure there is no one coming for you. I want you to learn why I'm doing this, in a way you can understand. If you die now, no one will learn. Cipher, the answer to a question no one has thought to ask."

"You really need to kill her now!" Phos said over the radio.

"Let the Seerlivey do as he wishes." Tobi responded. "I want Ruby Rose to see her precious kingdom be burned away in fear before she passes."

The radio chatter stopped. A metro link passed by. Vile hook shot onto it to make his escape. Ruby was left bleeding in the snow. She clutched her wound and channeled her powers to heal it. Tears flowed from her eyes. Every terrible thought a parent could ever have flooded her mind. She remained silent. Though, in her head she chanted Citrine's name over and over again.

"Ruby!" Yang ran to her side. "Oh my God." Yang sat her up.

"Save…Citrine…"

"I know sis." Yang said. "We're going to find her."

"I'm…so sorry daddy." Ruby said.

"I…" Yang stopped. She just hugged Ruby's head against her chest.

"I never got to say…how sorry I am." Ruby started crying.

"What are you talking about?"

"I always acted like I hated him. Like I loved Uncle Qrow more."

"He knew you loved him."

"Then why did I only manage to save one of them!" Ruby said. "I couldn't even save Citrine." Ruby's eyes clutched shut. "Oh my God what am I going to do?"

"You're going to pull yourself together and help me rip this guy a new asshole." Yang clutched her shoulders. "Dad didn't care who you loved more. He loved you regardless. He loved both of us. So, did Summer. Just as how you have so much love in your heart for so many people. Take an hour or so off. Go to Jaune, help him with his sword. I know you love weapons and you love him. Go, leave Vale to us for a while. Then, come back here together so we can end this."

"I…" Ruby couldn't argue. "Thank you." She gave Yang another hug. "For everything…for being so strong for me…for my entire life…even though I know…I always knew…you were even more broken inside than I was."

"That's what strong people do. We must get it from dad. We both see all the filth in this world and still want to clean it up. Because the world is worth saving."

"You're right." Ruby struggled to her feet. "I love you."

"I love you too." Ruby sped up into the air. The last thing she heard was… "Don't have too much fun with Jaune! We need you to save your energy!"

 **AN: So round 1, didn't go so well. Ruby went in a little cocky but of course she did. She's kind of directly responsible for taking down four of the most powerful beings ever in a single day. Vile was just better prepared. Next Time: The Sword of Damocles, Vile's true abilities revealed? Please review, follow and favorite.**


	21. Sword of Damocles

RWBYond War

 **AN: I am so proud of the last two chapters. I don't think there is any way to really keep it going upwards from there. We're approaching the last stretch of this horrid night for Team RWBY. Remember that a puzzle is something you have all the pieces to and its up to you to figure it out.**

Chapter 21: The Sword of Damocles

Blake slid along the rooftop onto a landing. She limped a bit at the pressure on her leg. She hissed in pain and sprayed more medical adhesive on it. She crawled on all fours and spotted the tracks for the tram Vile had escaped on.

"Blake, are you sure you should be out and about?" Jaune said into her radio.

"I'm fine Jaune." Blake said. She spotted the train coming. With her natural night vision, she could see Vile in the front car. "Train's coming."

"Blake you really need to wait for either Ren or Yang."

"There's no time." Blake jumped onto the train. She ground her teeth to keep from yelping. She cursed herself for being so weak. Sure, her friends would disagree with that notion but skill and strength were separate entities. She was by far the weakest member of Team RWBY. In terms of aura, she had always been. Back at Beacon she ranked in the lower third in stamina.

"Blake, you still haven't recovered from your fight with Adam…" Yang started.

"I appreciate the concern."

"This guy just took on Ruby!"

"Duly noted." Blake hung up her radio and took a deep breath. She stealthily slipped through a window on the tram. She could see Vile now. His back was to her. She pulled out her gun ready to fire. She pulled the trigger, the skull-round ripped through the back on Vile's head and out the front window. Then it faded.

"Did you think you could get the drop on me?" Vile held a gun up to her head. "You've got nowhere to run."

"I'm done running."

"Are you really?"

"You're not getting inside my head."

"But it's so easy…so self-conscious…but I'm not interested in getting inside your head. You're inconsequential to my desire. So instead, I'll paint the next room with your brains."

"What's faster, your finger or me?" Blake challenged. She heard the click of his gun. Empty? She spun back and around, firing at him. He dodged every bullet in the blink of an eye. Blake fell back to the doorway only to be kicked in face through the window. She swung through the flickering clone.

"Damn it." Vile said as he banged on his chest.

"Empty, so that's why you didn't finish Ruby?"

"I didn't finish her because there's still more for her to learn. When I watch her loose herself, I want to look her in the eye with my own." She rolled forward and slashed at him with a dozen strikes, each one of them missed.

Blake avoided a kick to the face with a clone only to be caught in an arm bar. She slipped out of it with an electric clone. As the sparks flew, Blake kicked Vile in the face and slashed him across the chest.

"What the hell is your deal anyway?" Blake asked as her blade slid past his arm. He caught her by the wrist.

"Legacy." He said as he sent an elbow into her ribs. "Destiny." He wound up his fist. A rune on the grieve glowed. This was… "Hope." Vile's fist hit her in the gut. The execution fist cracked her ribs. This was the move Avarice taught Yang to help her focus her powers against the Grimoire.

"No." Blake was blasted to the back of the train. She only took half the damage thanks to a last split second clone. Otherwise she'd be dead.

"In that order those three things made me into who I am today. The Seerlivey, hunter of hunters."

"Did you hear that." Blake groaned into her radio.

"That title has popped up a couple times tonight." Jaune said. "We can't find anything on what it means."

"Now I know what it all means." Vile said. The armor around his right arm fell off, broken from the battles. His hand was pale and clammy with the Cipher Sigil tattooed to the back. He pulled out both pistols and lined the tops of them up.

"Get away from her!" Yang burst from above, lighting a radiant flame in the tram. She stepped between Vile and Blake and stood defensively.

"Yang Xiao Long. Pleasure to finally meet you." Vile said. "I'm glad you're here for this moment." The handles of his pistols rotated down and together. "The first hunter was so worried about what would happen to humanity should he pass that he had the wizard seal his soul away in a piece of tapestry. That tapestry still holds the power of his semblance. It has been used by heroes throughout the generations. Now, seven such weapons exist."

"What the hell are you on about?" Yang said. Her whole body was glowing.

"These weapons are powerful." He said. "In the right hands, they can cripple even the most powerful of beasts." A long blade shot from the gun handle. "This is the greatest of these weapons. The Sword of Damocles. Named for the engineer that designed it."

"Archibald Damocles?" Yang said as she put her ursa mask on.

"He was among the first to design mecha-shift technology, creator of the gun-sword." He held the sword up and spun it around a few times. "It doesn't work all that well on people. More of a Grimm hunting weapon. But against the two of you, Arbiter and Faunas, it should do nicely."

Yang rushed him but the explosive punches were easily batted away by the sword. Yang kept up the assault, using the claustrophobic corridor to her advantage. But no matter how she punched, or how fast she moved, the only thing her fists were hitting was air.

"Hold still you little bastard."

"You'll never lay a hand on me!"

"Piss off!"

"For five years I've been training specifically to beat your little sister. Do you really think you can keep up?" Vile taunted.

"Shut up!" Yang's punch was parried and Vile lined up a stab. Yang flared up her aura to block it. Then the sword pierced right through her chest.

"You really should know this by now." Vile scorned. "You've been an Arbiter for four years. Your mother uses the same type of sword. Yet tonight you have shown just how much of a little girl you still are." Yang dropped to her knees as the blade exited her body.

"What?" She muttered. Her hair flashed as she threw a punch to Vile's knee and missed as he danced around it. He kicked the back of her head, forcing her to faceplant to the floor.

"Yang!" Blake got up and rushed Vile. They clashed swords. From what Blake, could feel, there wasn't anything that separated this sword from any other sword. Blake ducked under a swing and rolled out of the way of a shotgun kick. She used a clone to avoid the next swing in the nick of time. The blade beam it let off did hit her though. I hurt enough to cause her to stagger. With a spinning attack, Vile sliced open her torso.

"Just as I said." Vile chided. Blake screamed in pain as she felt the blood leave her body. She died, there and then. Then, there was nothing, just a cat-scratch.

Vile kicked her out of the window. Blake grabbed onto the last cart and yelped as her body strained from the effort. An explosion later, and Yang had blasted her way to the top of the train. She advanced against Vile, the wound nearly gone. At first glance it seemed like her aura closed it instantly. Then Blake realized that her own body had recovered which was odd because she had nearly no aura left.

"What the hell is that sword?" Blake said as she got back on top of the train. Yang blasted her fists into Vile's sword before backing off to avoid his next attack. Blake fired her pistol, but all the bullets were dodged. Yang took advantage of Vile's evasive stance and connected a punch to his head, knocking him off the train.

"It's like Corcea Mors." Yang said. She jumped off the train and landed on the rooftop next to Vile. Blake followed behind.

"I'm impressed." Vile said. "It seems you're not quite a monster yet."

"I'm never going to be a monster." Yang said resolutely. She ran at him and he dodged her strike. He flipped over her and blocked Blake's follow up attack. She tried forcing him back. Yang punched through her as she subbed in a clone and the attack hit it's mark.

"You've almost got him." Jaune said. "One more hit like that and he's toast."

Yang and Blake flanked both his sides. They forced him backwards. He could barely keep up with the dual attacks. His sword slid along Blake's sheath as he kicked Yang in the stomach. Blake then felt a sharp pain pierce her stomach.

"Blake!" Yang screamed. Blake was fine but her aura shattered. The wound was small, much smaller than the blade, but it was still there. Blake had never been in so much pain in her life. Vile went to finish Blake off with a kick but Blake caught his foot and tossed him back.

"Do you know why this sword hurts so much?" Vile asked. "Swords created from the sealed soul of Abraham are the deadliest weapons the Grimm had ever known. Nevermore's silver blade, Jaune's Corcea Mors, my Sword of Damocles, these blades exist for the soul purpose of slaying Grimm."

"Then…" Blake's eyes went wide in revelation.

"Faunas and Arbiter, Belladonna and Branwen…" Yang grit her teeth at the use of her mother's name. "You are both byproducts of Avis Bran. Born from Redstone and Grimm experiments."

"How the hell do you know that?" Yang snarled.

"For one, Cipher is an offshoot of the Arbiters. We were formed to seal away the knowledge that perpetuated the cycle. Secondly, a former adversary of yours let us in on the secret. We already knew of course, but finding out that the two of you knew as well…well, it's interesting isn't it."

"I still don't…" Blake said.

"Have you seen Jaune kill anyone with his sword?" Yang said.

"Now that you say it out loud…" Blake trailed off.

"It can kill people." Vile said. "But if it lays the killing blow, the victim's soul will be trapped in the blade. This is the semblance of Abraham, the first hunter."

"Grimm can get sealed too." Yang said. "Can't they?"

"Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner." Vile leaped in the air and stabbed down at Yang.

"The King's Chart." Yang fired ranged blasts at Vile. "That's the tapestry isn't it."

"Yes, and the one who forged this sword was Damocles, an Argentware who lived over a hundred years ago."

"You Bastard!" Yang's semblance flared. "That's Ruby's ancestors you're talking about! That's their weapons you're using!"

"You say that, but you have no idea how deep this hole goes. Only an Argentware can create such a blade. Acacia Glens created Corcea Mors after Raymond Rose supplied the material. Your mother was only able to create her silver blade because of the deep feelings she had for Summer Rose, who supplied the metal."

"And now you're twisting those same kinds of feelings for your own vendetta! There's a reason Jaune took an oath never to kill a human with that sword!" Yang's white raven form exploded from her body and lit the endless night ablaze.

"Does Ruby know that Blake's entire race was created in a lab by someone trying to unlock the secrets of Grimm?"

"She wouldn't care!"

"You're right about that. So why keep it from her?"

"Shut up!"

"Humans…what that term means to you doesn't mean the same to an emotionless blade." Vile said. He slashed away at the energy construct. "The two of you don't count as humans." He stabbed Yang through the stomach. "Too much Redstone in your veins. Just like him."

"I'm not like them." Yang coughed out. She ignited an execution punch directly into his head. Part of his helmet was blasted off and he flew into the railing on the building. Blake could see the cracks in the helmet. There were small tufts of black hair poking out from the cracks.

"What was that earlier? I'll never touch you?" Yang said mockingly.

"A slip up…exhaustion from all the fighting." Vile stumbled up. His suit flickered blue lights.

"Who are you?" Blake asked.

"Who I am is of no consequence to either of you."

"The hell it isn't!" She wrapped her hands around his throat.

"It isn't." He choked out. "Not yet." He disappeared. It was a clone?

"GAH!" Blake choked out as she felt the blade pierce her from behind.

"Your choice Branwen, chase me or save your partner." Vile pulled the sword out and jumped off the rooftop.

"GOD DAMN YOU!" Yang screamed. She ran up to Blake's side. "I'm so sorry. I should have been able to see he had made a switch."

"It's okay." Blake said. She swallowed the soldier pill Yang gave her. Blake could feel her aura healing the wounds. "He's right…I have been letting my people's origin get in the way of everything. Tonight, it nearly cost me my life more than once."

"So what are you going to do?" Yang asked. "I mean, beside taking the rest of the night off of course." She said.

"I'm going to call Sun, have him come here tomorrow." She said. "I…I think I'm ready to settle down, to prove to myself that our origin doesn't matter."

"Oh." Yang bit her bottom lip. "Oh!" Her face lit up as she picked up on Blake's visual cues. "Oh…shit." She said. "So in about, I don't know, give it ten months… I'll be the only one that doesn't have a kid."

"Don't sound too pleased." Blake said.

"Hey if I can ever find someone who can keep up, maybe I'll settle down." Yang said half-heartedly. "Maybe." She added.

"Well until you decide to grow up, you'll just have to be an honorary aunt for any kids Sun and I have…also…Yang, I need your help. Phos said my family is still alive. After this night is over, you, me, and Sun…the three of us need to find them."

"It would be my honor." Yang said.

"Thank you."

 **AN: There were a lot of ideas I had for the dialogue and revelations in this chapter, but I couldn't remember all of them. Only a few were actually written in my outline. So, Blake is done for the night, Yang is still fighting though. I may do a story where Yang, Blake and Sun are looking for Blake's family, but I'm not going to plan that until we learn more about them. Next time we see Vile, that mask is coming off. Next Time: Jaune returns.**


	22. Storm the Tower

RWBYond War

 **AN: I goofed and posted the wrong doc last chapter. It only took me fifteen minutes to catch it, but in the time, it took to update, like 30 people had read the chapter. A quick little announcement of this story. The story ends with chapter 26, five more chapters including this. Then, there is going to be a chapter 27, which is the epilogue. Instead of doing the Happily Ever After thing, each major character is going to get a few paragraphs about what they do the night after the siege.**

Chapter 22: Storm the Tower

The last few hours had been calm. Ever since Rubrum took over the robots, and Vile was forced to retreat, Vale had gone quiet. Though, they were no closer to finding out his identity, or location, no closer to stopping the bomb Tobi had primed.

Jaune sat in Rubrum's house, waiting for Ruby to come pick him up. He was ready to join the fight. The new Corcea Mors was proof of that. The sword once shattered had been reformed, with some extra gold trimming for style points.

"Thank you…Rubrum." He said as he took some practice swings. It was so different from the first time. When he was younger, it was like he carried the entire weight of the Arc legacy on his shoulders. Now, he couldn't describe how right this felt.

"Anytime." Rubrum rolled back to his computer. Someone entered the room. It was Ruby.

"Jaune?" Ruby said. She walked over to him in a brisk pace and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry."

"We've done all we can." Jaune said. "We're going to keep doing that. We're going to find them. We're going to find her." He kissed the top of her head and held her close.

"About that…" Rubrum said. "Looking at all this stuff…our plan of keeping them talking has paid off."

"I thought they were bouncing our communications around." Jaune said.

"True…but there's only so many places to bounce around. Following the trail, matching it to all locations that can house something like that, plus…one piece of the puzzle we haven't addressed…they have got to be underground. Underneath the old train station to be precise."

"What piece of the puzzle?" Jaune said.

"That train station has been shut down since the Breach." Ruby said.

"Perfect place to hide a secret lair." Rubrum said. "And a giant drill machine. A lot of Cipher's plans thus far have utilized a giant underground vehicle. Which hasn't appeared tonight."

"It's settled, and worth a shot." Jaune said. "Let's go."

"Good luck out there." Rubrum said. Ruby made a portal with her gun and laced her fingers through Jaune's as they stepped through. Jaune was now in down town Vale, feeling woozy. He'll never get used to traveling that way. But Ruby instantly planting her lips on his, forced him to swallow anything that threatened to come up.

"Get a room." Yang said. Ruby broke the kiss with a sigh. Yang and Ren were standing just a few feet away.

"Alright, what do we have?" Jaune asked.

"There's something going on up top and down below." Ren said.

"Nothing on street level, which is why we haven't picked up anything yet." Yang added. Jaune looked up at the clock tower that loomed above the station. "Tobi is up there. We noticed gears in the video feed when he taunted Blake."

"We also have some help coming in that should be here within the hour." Ren said.

"Alright, Ren and I will go up. You two go down." Jaune said.

"I've uploaded detailed maps to all your scrolls." Rubrum phoned in. "I've marked likely locations for the various objectives."

"That should make things easier." Jaune said.

"Alright team." Ruby said. "Let's go." Yang and Ren headed inside. "We're splitting up so that one of us for sure finds her…right?"

"Yeah of course. Also, helps that you're just about the only person who has synergy with Yang."

"Yeah." She kissed his cheek. "When this is over…" She gave him a familiar look.

"I've got no plans for the next few weeks." Jaune smiled and kissed her again. "Knock them dead sweetheart."

Jaune ran to catch up with Ren. Yang peeled up a piece of concrete so her and Ruby could slip underground. Jaune took a few moments to appreciate the look of the abandoned train station. They quickly found the elevator, but it didn't work. Jaune pried it open the door with his sword. The cables seemed to be in working order.

"Looks like we're taking the long way up." Ren said. His eyes darted away. Jaune nodded and threw up a shield as the pink lasers blasted towards them. Phos danced around the scaffolding, firing her lasers down at them. Ren pulled out his pistols and fired up at her.

Jaune turned just in time to block a volley of rocks. He stepped forward and sliced through a boulder. Terra floated in the air on a chunk of stone. There was a smirk on her face. Ren leaped in the air towards Phos and Jaune stood his ground against Terra.

"Looks like its two on two." Terra said. Phos dashed down from her vantage point.

"Haven't you learned your lesson yet?" She said as she flanked Jaune but was intercepted by Ren. He dodged her needle blade and landed a palm strike to her stomach. Jaune swung at her but his sword was blocked by a rock pillar.

Jaune stepped back to dodge a stone. He quickly dodged a few more only to be hit in the face by a brick. Jaune rolled up to his feet. He manifested a cannon and fired at Terra. Terra dodged the attacks and pulled up more rocks.

"Killing you might actually bring a smile to Tobi's face." Terra mused.

"That's who you were going to see right?" Phos said. Terra threw more rocks at Jaune.

"Is that the only thing you know how to do?" Jaune taunted. As the boulder flew at him he split it with a single slice. The blade beam carved a path right at Terra, forcing her to dodge, right into Jaune's cannon blast.

"Let's see how you handle this." Terra called upon hundreds of petals. Her outfit glowed red for an instant. The, now lava laced, pebbles rocketed towards Jaune like a hail of bullets. Ren's bullets fired around Jaune's body, destroying all the pebbles. Jaune returned the favor with a blade beam that went at his head. He ducked and the beam hit Phos instead.

"It's over ladies." Jaune said confidently. "Even if you beat us, there's more on the way."

"Bring them on." Phos said. She took a swing at Jaune. Jaune raised his shield and started backpedaling at the assault. Ren had taken to dodging Terra's stones and firing at her. A few bullets would hit, but most of them didn't.

Jaune felt good. He felt good about his sword and shield. All the doubt that had clouded his mind for four years was gone. The man who would look longingly at his shattered family heirloom was gone. He was as he was before. The White Knight that had protected Atlas and Vale and countless towns and villages during the war. He was back in his eighteen to twenty-one-year-old mindset. He felt himself again, the knight, the guardian, the one that Ruby had fallen in love with in the first place. And just like then, his sword was just a tool. Something to channel his power through. Something to whittle his opponents down before using his semblance for the final blow.

Then again, they were just kids. He definitely wanted them to live through this night. He and Ren were an opportune opponent for them. Had it been Yang, they might not be so lucky. Especially since Terra is the one who buried her and kidnapped Weiss and Citrine.

Jaune's back hit the wall. He ducked under Phos' next strike. Her blade went through the steel beam. Jaune rolled around it and used his fist construct to smack the falling hunk of metal towards the assailant.

Ren was blasted next to him by a large rock to the chest. Jaune smashed the offending object with a hammer construct. Jaune flared his semblance, hitting Phos' with a force field then Ren kicked her in the face and slashed at her with his blades. Phos flipped over Jaune's follow up strike and blasted him with lasers. Jaune took it in stride and blasted at her with a cannon shot but missed.

"Why keep fighting?" Jaune pleaded. "Why defend Tobi?"

"I can give two shits about that bastard." Phos said. "We're here for Vile."

"Do you think he's any better?"

"Abso-freaking-lutely." Phos said.

"I heard that the power of spring is strong against all that nature dust in his veins." Terra said. "Vile said that I get to tie up loose ends when all this is done."

"After you get the powers of Spring?" Jaune said raising his sword against her.

Phos shot his hand with a laser. Ren shot at her with his pistols. Jaune focused on getting through the hail of stones Terra was using against him. This cycle seemed to go on all night. In reality, it was several minutes. Phos was a hit and run fighter with impressive range. There was no way Jaune could get in close to Terra. Ren could, but only with a distraction. Jaune could tank Phos' lasers, but not indefinitely.

He guessed his brain was still out of practice. He was usually really good at this sort of thing. Even better than Ruby for the most part. Right now, it seemed like he was having trouble with the easiest of strategy forming.

Needs: Block Phos' hit critically, stun Terra, Ren takes down, but how to…wait, his semblance worked the same way as Vile's projections. If the Cipher Commander could do it, maybe he could too. He needed to focus though. Which was really hard with all these lasers, rocks and bullets flying everywhere. There was so much green, pink, brown and yellow flooding the room that Jaune could swear the whole building was…that's it.

"Stop blocking you pussy." Phos said. "Do you even know how to use that sword." She managed to slap Ren across the room and flank Jaune.

"Hell yeah I know how to use it." Jaune blocked her downward slash. "What's so complicated about swish wish stab? It's not a fighter jet." He pushed her off him. "Swish!" He sliced through the boulder that was meant to cream him. He aimed his strike just perfectly to where it hit a very important support beam and sliced it in half. A piece of the ceiling came down and hit Terra.

"Terra!" Phos said. Jaune blasted her with his cannon when she wasn't looking. "Cheap mother f…" She was interrupted as Ren kicked her in the neck as she flew past him.

Jaune focused his energy to create a human construct. It was nowhere near as detailed as Vile's, it was barely on par with Sun's. But it should do the trick.

"Ren get ready." He said. The clone attacked Phos, punching her in the face before exploding. At that instant, Jaune launched himself with a cannon shot behind him and created a force field. He cannon balled into Terra, blasting through her protective rocks.

It didn't work all the way. Jaune was hit from below by a stone slab and was smashed through the roof. But the plan worked and Ren hit Terra from behind with his most powerful palm strike that turned into an aura bomb. As Terra was engulfed in the jade pillar, he fired a lotus blast. Phos dove in the way of it and was blasted away. Jaune dropped down and blasted her with a cannon as he descended.

She blasted him in the stomach but Jaune grinned and bore it. He headbutted the girl and swung a hammer construct at her. A rock wall came up to protect her. Jaune used the hammer and chisel combination to break through the wall. The resulting hit broke Phos' aura.

"PHOS!" Terra called out. Jaune caught the falling girl and knocked her out with a swift punch. Terra stood there with anger building up in her eyes.

"Stand. Down. Terra." Jaune said.

"We wanted you to come to Beacon." Ren said. "We had even planned to show you around campus. Then you vanished and joined Cipher."

"Why?" Jaune said.

"You really want to know!" Terra said. "Look at the quality of huntsmen your school produces. You two are in the upper echelon of Beacon's history and you've still had trouble with us. There's no way I could get stronger following you. Phos and Ash were different. Phos didn't want to be a hero and Ash just wanted a way to build a relationship with his mother. I don't have that luxury. Everyone that was used in the petri dish I came from is dead."

"Vile promised you the maiden powers." Jaune said. "Even if he could give them to you, what then?"

"None of that matters! Vile doesn't matter. Cipher doesn't matter. Neither does Tobi, the bomb, the maiden powers. I JUST WANT TO BE STRONG!" She screamed. All the stones in the area came up around her, forming a giant rock monster.

"That does not look good." Jaune trailed off.

"Do you have any idea what it was like in that hell hole? Feeling like you had to live up to so much. Feeling worthless. Feeling unwanted. Feeling like you were always on the B Team. Feeling absolutely powerless. Feeling like you had to live up to something!"

"I…" Jaune's mind flashed to when he was being black mailed by Cardin. "I think I do."

"Vile does." Terra said. "When he heard what it was like in that dark hell, he showed me his face. He showed me that he went through all the same stuff I did. That's why I follow him."

"You've seen his face?" Ren said. "What does he look like?"

"Normal I guess, save for the scars. I don't know, all I know is he's the only one I've seen with that face. That's all I'm telling you. Not even Phos or Tobi have seen his face." The golem through a punch. Ren spun in the air to hit it, but the attacks did nothing.

"Well that will change soon enough." Jaune said. He smashed the arm of the golem with a hammer construct. If only Nora and Penny were here…and able to fight… they'd be done.

"Why won't you people just die?" Terra used the golem to punch Ren. Some of the rocks came off and exploded when they pinned Ren to the wall.

"Ren!" Jaune called out. He planted his foot and blocked the massive punch. He blasted the golem with his strongest cannon blast. It nearly fell apart. Jaune rushed it but was batted aside. He rolled to his feet and charged again. This time he kept the shield construct up to intercept the blow. The entire golem went red as Jaune hit it. Jaune raised his shield as the massive blast slammed him into the wall.

"You're finished." Terra said. She had dozens of good sized boulders at her side. All of them flew at Jaune at once. Jaune flinched but the boulders never hit him. He looked up and saw the wires that had stopped them.

"You JNPR idiots are all the same aren't you?" A voice said. The rocks were sling shot back at Terra. Terra's hands clinched together and the rocks hit her. Wires were now tied all around her hands.

"You." Terra said in shock. She was pulled upward and kicked back to the ground. Kurome now stood over her.

"Terra you, dumbass." Kurome grabbed the girl by the collar. "What the hell were you thinking."

"Ku…ro…me…" Terra was speechless.

"After…" Kurome choked up. "After all the hell I went through to find you three again. All the trouble I had convincing Headmaster Qrow to give you a chance…"

"You forgot why we existed." Terra said. "You forgot what you are." She accused.

"No I haven't Terra. I grew up." She pulled Terra in close to her chest. "There is so much more to life than power. Th bonds we make and the feelings we share are what makes us strong."

"Tell that to Akagi." Terra said.

"Look where it got her."

"She was your sister."

"She was the only person I truly loved. For a long time, at least. I was just like you for so long. But I didn't send you here to get strong. I sent you here so that you could make friends and bonds. That will make you strong."

"She's right." Jaune interrupted. "Look at me. I was a useless waste of an Arc. Then I met a girl named Pyrrha. She had faith in me when no one else did. But she died because she was some destined hero. All the strength and responsibility in the world didn't do anything. It was the bonds she made that people ultimately remembered."

"Just…" Terra grit her teeth. "I…"

"You don't have to make any kind of change or decision yet." Kurome said. "It took months to get over my hang ups. But you don't have the same ties that I did. You can do so much more than just being some thug. I believe in you." Kurome said. "Which is why you're coming with me after this."

"What about Ash and Phos…" Terra said.

"I can probably make an argument for them. But I wasn't so sure of them. Maybe some jail time can do them some good. Just count yourselves lucky that none of you have done all that much tonight. You may get off a little easier." She punched Terra and knocked her out.

"Thanks for the save Kurome." Jaune said. He walked over to Ren who was struggling up to his feet.

"Take the rest of the night off bud." Kurome said.

"Guys, come in." Rubrum said.

"Read you loud and clear." Jaune said.

"I've lost contact with Ruby and Yang. I thought it was just interference but…"

"I'll go check." Kurome said. "I can get there fastest and make sure she's fine."

"Last I heard from her she had found the bomb. I already sent you the coordinates." Rubrum said. Kurome walked to the elevator shaft and prepared to slide down it.

"You make your way up to Tobi." She said. "You can have your fun…but he's mine… This is all my fault. If I would have just killed him any of the dozens of times I've had the chance…"

"Vile would have found someone else." Jaune said. "Rubrum, had Ruby located anyone yet?"

"No. Which means Tobi may still have Citrine or Weiss up top." Rubrum answered.

"Sorry you can't be her knight in shining armor again." Kurome said as she jumped down the shaft.

"Don't be jealous." Jaune said. "Watch over these two."

"Are you sure you want to take him alone?"

"Come on, it's Tobi. If it was a real threat like, say, Cinder or Vile, then I'd be worried." Jaune joked and hoped Tobi heard that. He quickly jogged up the dilapidated stair case until he reached the top.

When he got there, there was a single room. Tobi stood at the edge, looking out at the city. A quick glance confirmed that Citrine wasn't here. But Helios and Eos were fast asleep in a cage. That pissed Jaune off. Tobi was wearing a brown shredded cloak and hood.

"Welcome White Knight." Tobi said mockingly as he turned around. His face was in full display. It looked worse than Jaune remembered. Part of his face had fallen off, exposing the muscles around the teeth on the left side. One of his eyes was purple and blood shot. His left eye was black with a silver circle in it. Silver-shot, the drug he created specifically for Akagi.

"Question, what would you have done had Ruby been the one to show up first?" Jaune smiled. Tobi frowned the best he could.

"Vile knew she'd leave me to you and increase the chances of one of you being the one to save Citrine." Tobi said.

"Where are they?" Jaune asked.

"I don't know. Vile wouldn't even let me in on any of his secrets. Let alone his plan." Tobi held up the trigger. "So, you and me, one final match."

 **AN: Cliff hanger! This fight won't pick up for a while. Next Time: The hardest chapter I think I'll ever have to write. Seriously, it's going to be the penultimate chapter of this entire story. At the very end of it, Vile's mask is removed.**


	23. Behind the Mask

RWBYond War

 **AN: Here's the critical chapter of this story. The chapter title has double meaning. Yes, Vile's identity will be revealed at the very end of the chapter. But this is also raw Ruby. Her metaphorical mask is lifted in this chapter as well.**

Chapter 23: Behind the Mask

Ruby and Yang hit the ground running. They had the map at hand. The checked corridor after corridor for any sign of Citrine, Weiss or Vile. The tunnels were long and labyrinthian. There was no way they were going to be able to check everything at once. So, Yang opted to check the northern end where the hallways were tighter. She had a lot better vision thanks to the eyepiece.

Ruby turned a corner and saw the remains of a train. It was the same train responsible for the breach when she was at Beacon. There were lights inside. So, naturally, Ruby rushed in to investigate.

"Rubrum, I think I found the bomb." Ruby said.

"That's…wait…" Rubrum was breaking up.

"Rubrum, come in Rubrum." There was no answer. Ruby looked around the bomb and tried to see if she could figure out how it worked. She read the bios screen that was on one end. "It's not a destructive bomb. It's a chemical one. Tobi plans on forcing the city into a panicked frenzy."

She examined the contents of the bomb. She could disable the radio transmitter. But without Rubrum's guidance she couldn't risk setting it off. So, she opted to take out the tanks full of the yellow chemical. She took them out, one by one.

One of them was cracked on the inside. As soon as Ruby took it out she was sprayed. She quickly held her breath but it was too late. She swallowed hard and thought happy thoughts. She thought about Jaune and Citrine and how much love she was going to rain down on them after the night was over.

She set the canister down gently. She needed to get out of here and back to the surface. As soon as she turned her heart jumped. Akagi Tsuki stood with her gun to Ruby's face. black goo and silver-shot dripped from her mouth and eyes.

"Miss me?" She pulled the trigger and everything went black.

"Hey red, isn't it past your bedtime." Torchwick's voice joked. Ruby awoke on Patch in the winter. She saw her mother, or an apparition of her, talking to a juvenile Ruby.

"Girls, I promise I'll be back in a few days." Her mother said as she peeled Ruby and Yang off her legs. "As soon as this powerful monster is dead, I'll come back and make it up to you. I swear. I will make you all a month's worth of cookies when I get back."

"Mom?" Ruby said as the white apparition began scattered into petals.

"Little Red, Little Red, you are just determined to be the hero of Vale, aren't ya." Roman taunted.

"Don't let your sister and father pout too much, promise." Summer said as the spirit put its empty hood on Ruby's forehead.

As Ruby continued down the hallway the scene changed to the cliff side altar.

"Qrow's gone." The younger Ruby said. "He left on some stupid mission."

'I'm sure he's doing what needs to be done.' The ghostly white apparition said.

"I know, it's just why now?"

'Heroes don't get to choose when they are called. You know that.'

"Of course I do."

'If it makes you feel any better, I'll do what I can to watch over him.'

"Thank you. I really needed to hear that." Reality set in on Ruby. "I wish I could actually hear your voice. It's been so long I can hardly remember it. All I have left are the pictures and the few home videos we have."

'I'm sorry Ruby.'

"Are you even capable of seeing how I feel?" Both cloaks scattered in a violent wind.

"Ruby Rose…" Ozpin's voice echoed. The scene changed to the interrogation room. "You have Silver Eyes." The scene changed again to the hallways at Beacon. Ruby could hardly recognize her fifteen year old self wearing that uniform. "You have been burdened with a daunting task Ruby…"

"I know." The present Ruby said. "I still am."

"Argentware are supposed to be fearless." Akagi appeared. "What gives you the right to wield such power and praise when you've done nothing to deserve it?"

"In the forest you acted like a child and have only continued to do so." Weiss' voice scorned though she did not appear.

"Ooh just imagine what it'll be like after we graduate!" The scene changed again. It was Ruby's voice though the scene changed to Amity Coliseum, and Penny's broken body.

"I'm so sorry." The present Ruby said. A montage of images flooded her head. All the battles she had fought and won in her brief stay at Beacon.

"Death will come to all who follow you." Tobi's voice echoed.

"I'm going to be the one to do it." Vile said.

"Who are you?" Ruby said.

"You're asking the wrong questions Red." Torchwick said.

"Don't be stupid." Glas said as the scene changed. "Everyone in your family who has silver eyes has become heroes. Every one of them didn't live to see 50. Do you know how many huntsmen have died in action? Other than some rare examples I can list on one hand and the ones still active today, every single one of them. And it's always been Ozpin to lead them into destruction." At that last sentence, the scene changed to Beacon tower.

"Do you believe in destiny?" Pyrrha asked Cinder but Cinder was nowhere to be found. Instead it was a radiant orange light whose features were obscured.

"Yes." Cinder said.

Ruby tried dashing forward but couldn't get there in time to stop the arrow. The scene instantly changed to the time Team RNJR fought Cinder in the forest outside Mistral's capital.

"You have power you can't possibly understand." Cinder slid her hand across Ruby's cheek. "I underestimated you once but that will never happen again." Cinder gripped Ruby by the throat and Ruby spat in her face. Cinder then proceeded to beat Ruby mercilessly. Crescent Rose was no longer in her reach and Cinder stuck with using her bare hands to beat Ruby until her aura broke. Cinder than stalked over to Ruby. "It's a shame really, what a waste of power and potential." Cinder cupped Ruby's cheek and Ruby bit her hand. Cinder jerked pack and slapped Ruby. "You" a backhand slap, "don't know" another slap, "when to" another backhand, "give up."

A blinding flash changed the scene once again to the Isle of Storms. Ruby was battling Akagi. The dialogue between the two girls was muddled but Glas' words echoed through the battleground.

"Maybe you'll be the hero to stop Salem and the Grimm and usher in a new era of peace. Maybe you'll succeed where your predecessors failed. But if I were to bet, I'd say you die broken and alone out in a field somewhere."

Ruby saw a vision of her family's tomb, the cliff side altar, her father's body lying in the snow on Patch.

"You idolize her so much you want to be just like her. You see her as this big time hero when she was just another soldier like you"

"Just another day at the job for you professors." Raven mocked.

"You will be forced to take a life and you will be on the frontlines of every conflict you can." A montage of all her battles in the Grimm War were overlaid on the battle with Akagi. "Because you want to be like her. You want to be her." A flash of Ruby as a baby being held by Summer the same way Ruby holds Citrine. "You want to be with her."

"I miss you too." The young Ruby said to her mother's memorial.

"And you don't care if it kills you so long as you don't have to suffer through another loss like that." Her father's body fell into her arms.

"You will sacrifice yourself to whatever cause asks you and you'll do it with a smile on your face because that is who you are."

"That's what I like about you. You're predictable!" Vile taunted.

"But have you thought about what the others would think about you?"

The scene finally changed to a night Ruby would rather forget. The train heading for Crete, right after she had mopped the floor with Adam and found out Yang had been hiding a handicap.

"Don't you…ever…lie to me again." The younger Ruby ordered.

"No." Yang said defiantly. "I'm sick of this high horse you've been riding ever since this war started. I'm YOUR big sister. I was the one who always protected YOU."

"I appreciate that but if I have the power to protect the people I care…the people I love then I have no other choice."

"Even if it kills you?"

"It WON'T" Ruby shouted.

"And tonight, you're going to be beaten and broken." Vile threatened. "And when you lay with blood on your face at my feet, I'm going to look into your eyes. I'm going to know that I'm the one who beat you. And then I'll put you out of your misery."

"But if it comes down to that, I will." The younger Ruby said. "Because if me protecting you for a year has you all riled up, imagine what it was like for me. Year in and year out, having you criticize my every move. You fighting my every battle. Then you going around saying, 'come out of your shell, make new friends,' it's…it's…bullshit."

"Everyone needs a little help." Pyrrha said.

"Ten years." Ruby scorned. "Ten years you protected me. I loved you for it. It was exactly what I needed after…after mom died." Ruby said barely above a whisper. "I was jealous. All those years at school and then the first year at signal. Everyone hated me. I couldn't compare to you. Not in looks. Not in charm. And certainly, not in skill. It nearly drove me insane, that no matter what I tried I wasn't as good as you. Then I chose my weapon. I stopped chasing your shadow and tried finding my own path, and I have. I didn't choose to be a maiden or an Argentware. But I wear it like a badge the same way I do my position as leadership. I'm sorry that you have to be jealous of that."

"Jealous?" Yang said. "You think I'm jealous. Ruby, every single evil thing out there wants YOU dead. You ARE NOT invincible. You're lucky you didn't get your hand cut off."

"Like you did?" Ruby shot out. Her hands went straight to her mouth. Yang turned around and stormed inside. He eyes were red with anger. Ruby's started to become bloodshot with tears. "Yang..." She

"I'll spell it out because you won't think like this on your own." Glas continued as the scene switched to Ruby's interrogation of him. Your father would shut down again." Images of all those terrible nights where her father was basically absent. "Yang would be destroyed…" Images of all the times Ruby has had to look over Yang's beaten and broken body. "Blake would run from it and try to forget you. Weiss wouldn't have any friends. Jaune, well he'd probably just off himself."

The scene changed back and forth. Jaune lamenting while they traveled to Haven and a night Ruby will never forget. The night she got her first kiss.

"I'm no hero." Jaune lamented. "I'm just a…"

"You're a hero to me Jaune." She gently brushed his hand causing herself to blush. "Don't think any differently. Anyone who risks their lives to help people and fight monsters is a hero. Even if they don't succeed 100% of the time."

"I know…I try to know anyway. Doesn't stop the crippling notion of my own shortcomings from taking hold every once in a while."

"You have to have faith in yourself. Like I have faith in you." She let slip out.

"You really have faith in me" He said more as a statement.

"Of course I do. You saved me…without you I would have never made it out of Haven."

"That's a lie. They wanted you alive anyway."

"That's not what I'm saying. Jaune, I didn't have a lot of faith in myself when I got to Beacon."

"That's hard to believe."

"I wasn't sure if I was ready, I got moved ahead two years. The only person I knew was…Yang and…I thought I'd get picked on or humiliated but…you were there. Every time I saw you succeed I knew I could too. By the time we got to Haven you had become so aware of your flaws that you made up for them. I became envious of you."

"I was always envious of you. You got a great team. You were a prodigy, charismatic, likeable, cool without being in your face about it."

"I guess we both weren't ready for our tasks. And we found solace in each other's company."

"Knowing that you didn't know much more than I did certainly helped."

"We were both leaders and the weakest members of our team."

"I was never good enough." Akagi said as the scene went back to the Isle of Storms. "My mother died giving birth to a failure. Then Dr. Moon was killed because I wasn't born right. My mom was killed because I wasn't strong enough with her. And now if I can't do this I will die. And if I die there won't be anyone to protect Kurome. Without silver shot I can't see. Without my eyes I can't fight to the fullest. If I can't fight to the fullest why was I even born? Huh, Ruby Rose. You were born because your mother loved your father. So as long as you live up to their dreams you validate your existence. But me, I was born to be the ultimate warrior. I can't do that if I can't even kill you. So tell me Ruby Rose, what was the point?"

"Everyone lives with the knowledge they can die. But they don't let that knowledge cloud their resolve." Rio said.

"Hope is what makes us strong. That is why we are here. It's what we fight with when all else is lost." Jaune put Ruby's own words back into her mouth.

"This is the power I feared?" Cinder's voice echoed.

"What gives you the right to wield such power?" Akagi repeated.

"I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet." Ozpin said. "But at this moment I would not consider your appointment to leader to be one of them."

"So you're Ozpin's guardian." Salem cooed.

"Victory is in a simple soul."

"What is your greatest desire?" Avarice's voice echoed.

"I want to be a huntress." Ruby's from various time periods echoed out. The scene abruptly changed to the airship during the fall of Beacon.

"That's very ambitious for a child." Blake's voice said.

"You got spirit Red, but this is the real world." Torchwick said.

"Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale." Blake noted.

"You want to be a hero? Then die like every other huntsman in history." An image of her mother's memorial flashed in her head.

"Well you can't spend your whole life on a battlefield, even if you may want to." Ozpin lectured.

"The real world is cold." Torchwick struck her.

Maybe you'll be the hero to stop Salem and the Grimm and usher in a new era of peace." Glas said. "Maybe you'll succeed where your predecessors failed. But if I were to bet, I'd say you die broken and alone out in a field somewhere. You will probably save people at that time but it won't be long until they are inspired to do the same thing." An image of Citrine, grown up looking at her mother's grave flashed in her mind.

"Seerlivey, hunter of hunters." Vile groaned.

"The real world doesn't care about spirit!" Torchwick taunted.

"That's why we're here, to make things better." The young Ruby said.

"You've made the world a better place." Cinder said. "I'm glad it was you who won that day and not Avarice or Ozpin."

Battle after battle raced through Ruby's head. Beacon where she first used her powers. Team RNJR's fight with Cinder where they should have been killed. Mistral when she killed the behemoth. The brief encounter with Vanilla Sly. The duel to the death against Akagi. Desperado, where she failed to stop Necros Faust. Mt. Serenade where she was nearly killed by Cinder but saved by Kraken. Beacon again when she finally beat Cinder.

Then suddenly she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. It was like all of Remnant was staring down at her. Strings bound her limbs and made her dance like a puppet. Grasping the stings were Salem, Ozpin and Avarice.

The room was dark, red and black swirls flooded the night sky. She wasn't on land. She was in a massive paw. A giant version of King had her in his grasp. Everyone was looking down on her, trying to see what would happen.

"So bring your monsters and mad men. I'll be ready. Because the heroes always win. Even when they lose." Ruby said at Crete.

More battles flashed in her mind. The battle against Adam on the train. The battle against the deadeyes and Black Knights. The massive Battle of Crete. And finally, Salem.

"If I would have stayed hopeful like you, the world would be a better place." Salem said.

"I still don't…" Ruby's strings were cut and she fell into a black mass of Grimm. There were shapeless but Ruby could tell it was the Hecatonchires that inhabited Salem in the last hours of her life.

Then Ruby felt a hand on her back. She looked back and saw the white cloak, now with a ghostly hand coming from it. Then there was a purple and a green and a silver one next to it. They were joined by Qrow, Yang, Tai. Then Jaune, Blake, Weiss, Penny, Nora, Ren and Pyrrha, then Sun and his team. Followed by Raven and Kraken and the other Arbiters. The headmasters from that time also joined in.

The image shattered and Ruby was back at Beacon being helped up by Jaune after making a fool of herself. A montage of images flashed through Ruby's mind. All those late-night chats with Jaune. All the sleepless nights after he moved in. All the Wednesday nights taking baths together while eating cheesecake. Then it stuck to one night like this.

"I want to have a kid." Jaune said. It wasn't the first time he had suggested it. But this time was different.

"Okay." Ruby said as she took another bite of her cake.

"So, whose name is this kid going to take?" Jaune asked as the scene transitioned to a make out session in the kitchen the next morning.

"I don't know." Ruby said.

"How about this, if it has my eyes, he or she is an Arc. If he or she has silver eyes, then its Rose."

"That sounds good to me." Ruby shrugged. The scene transitioned to a few weeks later, on the Cliffside alter. "I'm not sure I'm ready for a kid." Ruby said. "What happens if something happens to me?"

"I'm going to be the one to do it!" Vile's voice shattered the peaceful image. She was back in the strange realm. Akagi, Torchwick and Adam surrounded her. They all attacked her at once. She tried to fight them but she couldn't call on her power.

Adam struck her with his sword. Ruby blocked Akagi's strikes and dodged Torchwick's gun shot. This should have been easy for her. She had come so far since defeating either of these people. Just as all hope seemed lost a silver flash ran along the sky.

"Hope is what makes us strong. That is why we are here. It's what we fight with when all else is lost." Several voices spoke at once. Ruby found herself once more in the clutches of King as he took over Adam's body. Then, a hail of sword blades came down and skewered him.

"The swords!" King howled. "You…" Ruby fell to the ground and looked around. All those she had fought had been impaled by the blades. Standing over her was an old man with a mustache and an eyepatch.

"Stand my child." He said. Ruby obeyed.

"Abraham!" King howled.

"So, you remember me." The man said. King snapped at him but more blades fell from the sky and pinned King to the ground. Abraham turned to Ruby. "Rose, my name is Abraham. I am the first hunter." His eye was silver, just like hers. Ruby looked behind him and saw numerous apparitions. She recognized one, in particular. Her mother, she tried running for her but was stopped.

"Let me go." Ruby pleaded.

"Those are merely specters. Ghosts of those long passed. To go to them would be to forsake any life you have." Abraham sighed. "Take comfort in knowing that they can still watch you. That is a luxury even I, the strongest man to ever live, was not afforded."

"You played your part admirably." Ozpin said. Ruby turned and saw three pillars. Ozpin, Salem and Avarice stood on them. "Hello old friend." When Ozpin spoke, it was with Qrow's voice.

"Welcome to Oblivion Rose." Salem spoke with Cinder's voice.

"You've come far kid." Avarice spoke with Raven's voice.

"We don't have long," Ozpin said. "Due to the Redstone in the machine it has pulled your consciousness into this domain."

"There's no telling when you'll emerge." Avarice said.

"All those behind you are your past." Salem said. "The previous Spring Maidens."

"But you're so much more than that." Abraham said. "My blood runs through your veins. The blood of my eldest son. The power of my daughter in law. The spitting image of my granddaughter, the first Rose."

"Remnants in danger kid." Avarice said. "We don't know when, but something is coming. If you can't make it, then your heir must."

"Cipher?"

"Cipher is the junior leagues." Salem said.

"Why are you helping?" Ruby shot out.

"I wished for the world to be a better place." Salem cooed. "Tell me, how is it that you beat me?"

"I had magic and silver eyes that countered yours."

"No." Salem said. "Strength alone could not beat me. My semblance was to take such power away. How did YOU beat me?"

"I had help, all my friends stood by me."

"You're getting warmer." Avarice said.

"Remember what I told you after your first class." Ozpin offered.

"I…" Ruby started. Then it hit her, and the images started popping in.

"Are you really my friend?" Penny said.

"I took a bad trip…and what you said on the boat, it helped me pull through." Jaune said.

"Too be honest, I was much more jealous…" The deadeye of Pyrrha said.

"I'm so proud of you." Yang swooned.

"You're someone worth following." Blake said.

"I will be the best teammate you could have ever asked for." Weiss said.

"I…" Ruby stammered. "People think I'm this idealistic hero. That I'm meant to inspire confidence but I can't."

"Uh, uh, uh." Avarice ticked. "I hate liars."

"How you perceive yourself is different from how others perceive you." Ozpin said.

"Didn't Kraken tell you, that as the Spring Maiden, your emotions are a powerful weapon?"

"You don't need to live up to perfection to be idealized." Abraham said. "When you inspire others, when that is the power you wield, history will forget everything else."

"All your pretty words and good deeds, all the hope you've brought to the world, is a lie." Vile's voice echoed.

"Tell that to Vile." Ruby said.

"It's who you are." Salem said. "Had I stayed that positive, things would be drastically different. I believe the same goes for the opponent you now face."

"Who is Vile?"

"Haven't the feintest idea." Salem sighed.

"I have my suspicions, but I can't fathom how this could be." Ozpin said.

"He's been with Cipher for a long time. That is all I know." Salem said.

"Fat load of good you all are." She turned to Abraham. "What about you?"

"Unlike the others here I know nothing of the outside world. I wouldn't know this Vile from a hole in the ground. But I do feel the answer is close at hand."

"Ruby!" A voice called. The realm started collapsing.

"Beware of cloaks and daggers." Avarice said before the world disappeared.

"Wake up dumbass." Kurome slapped her awake.

"Ku…rome?"

"Get your ass up." Kurome said.

"When did you…"

"Come on huntress just do your job and get out of here." Kurome said. Yang's taking care of the canisters. There's a level below this one with a single room. He's probably there."

"What are you…?"

"Your husband is starting the party with Tobi without me." Kurome whinned. "I swear to whatever God might exist that I will rip him a new ass hole if he takes what's rightfully mine. It's my fault Tobi is still alive. I wanted to keep him around nineteen years but it looks like he's begging for a quicker death. Wouldn't want to keep him waiting." Kurome wondered off.

"Thank you." Ruby said.

"Look…" Kurome said. "Akagi is in the past. No amount of hate or loathing changes that. We…I…have to move on…no matter how hard that is." Kurome disappeared as she pulled herself up topside.

Ruby didn't bother waiting for Yang. It could take hours to dispose of those chemicals. Ruby coughed up some Redstone as she recovered. She made her was down an abandoned service ladder and into a room.

The room was bright red and silver. Ruby could hear Citrine's screams. Weiss was tied to a chair. She looked like she had just been beaten.

"Weiss!" Ruby ran to her.

"Stop." Vile said as he came out from behind a pillar. He held Citrine in his arms and a gun in his hand, pointed at Weiss.

"The bombs done." Ruby said. "Time to show us who you are."

"You think that matters to me?" Vile said. Ruby stayed form. She knew she couldn't do anything to save them both until he made a move.

"Ruby…" Weiss said. "He's…he's an…"

"Silence." Vile shouted. He looked to Ruby. "You still don't get it do you." He looked away. "Can't really blame you. A lie agreed on by all is the truth. Only, it doesn't change the truth."

He put the gun in its holster. He manifested constructs in the form of letters on his hand. 'Vile the Seerlivey.' Then, the letters started swapping around forming a new phrase. Vile set Citrine down in a basket. His mask started coming up.

He had scars along his lips and throat. He had nappy black hair. He kept his eyes closed. Ruby didn't recognize him. Then he opened his eyes. The letters stopped moving around to reveal the truth. 'Levi the…

"Argentware." Ruby said under her breath. 'Levi the Silver Eye.' Both eyes started glowing with a white light.

"Now do you understand? I am the only one who can beat you. I'm you're worst nightmare." He said.

 **AN: Duh! Duh! Duh! Vile's identity is revealed. Long chapter, a lot of it lifted from previous chapters and actual RWBY quotes. So here's the thing, I like twists that are set up without being telegraphed. A lot of people have picked up parallels to Arkham Knight. This is a response to how boring and predictable that reveal ended up being. I wanted to keep you guessing in a way that didn't make you accurately guessed it. Although, the time travel thing is still in the realm of possibility, just not my original intent when making this guy. So, without spoilers, what do you all think?**


	24. Show Down

RWBYond War

 **AN: So, I think this story is way better than any of the arcs from RWBYond Vale, or any of my anthology stories. Am I the only one? I decided I will do a bonus chapter (chapter 28) that will have alternate versions of the reveal and how the various theories could have played out.**

Chapter 24: Showdown

Weiss faded in and out of consciousness. She was tied to a chair. Her wrists were bound to the arms of the chair and her legs were tied down. She squirmed uncomfortably around against the restraints. She took inventory of her surroundings. Wherever she was, it was a mess. Judging by the maps and posters, she'd say she was underneath the old train yard. The room was surprisingly well lit.

Weiss shook the chair to find it had been bolted to the floor. In front of her was, what appeared to be, an old elevator. She looked around for anything, any sign of her captors. Then she heard a baby crying. No, they must have gotten Citrine too.

"Ci…trine." Weiss had trouble talking. The air was thick with dirt and grime.

"You're awake." The cold mechanical voice said. Vile walked out from behind the pillar. He held a basket in his hand. Citrine threw a fit inside.

"Citrine, don't worry, I'm right here." Weiss said softly. "And your mommy is on her way to save you."

"I'm counting on it." Vile said. He softly shushed the baby and rocked her back and forth. It was a strange sight to be sure.

"Why did you bring me here?" Weiss said.

"This place is hard to get to." Vile said. "It's where I set up shop for tonight. You've been out for a few hours. I thought you'd be out until morning."

"What time is it?"

"3:00 a.m." He said. "The hour of my victory is at hand." He said.

"You won't win." Weiss said. "If not for my condition I doubt you could beat me."

"Is that a challenge?" He punched her in the face. Alright, not the brightest move on Weiss' part. She was in no position to trash talk.

"I'm just saying you messed with the wrong family." Weiss amended. Vile started laughing.

"Rich, coming from a Schnee." Vile leaned down to where those eerie electric eyes looked right into hers. He grabbed her hands and started squeezing.

"Stop this. Ruby's a nice person. If you stop this now, she'll vouch for you to get a fancy prison cell."

"Like she did Cinder?"

"Well, yes. I'd even be willing to contribute to your accommodations."

"Really?" He headbutted her then slapped her in the face. "You're the first person I've ever met that made prison sound like a charity."

"It is a charity compared to what you deserve." Weiss said defiantly.

"What is it I've done?" Vile said. "Let's count off, shall we. I killed a bunch of useless huntsmen. I hospitalized the ones I thought were good enough. I besieged a city. I killed Taiyang, not going to lie, that was a dick move. But if you understood where I was coming from, you wouldn't see me as a monster."

"Well I sure as hell won't EVER see you as a hero. Ruby, is a hero, the greatest I've seen."

"Best I've seen too." Vile said. "Have you two ever sparred?"

"Well, yes, but not for a long time."

"Then you have no idea how good it felt."

"What?"

"Didn't I say, I fought her earlier tonight. Nearly killed her, I probably could have, but I played things safe and got out of there as soon as I hit my limit with her."

"That's impossible." Weiss said.

"Maidens aren't invincible. No one…is invincible." Vile said. "Did you know that the Grimm have an influence on the human mind?"

"Where did that come from?"

"Just answer the question."

"The Grimoire can."

"So can ordinary Grimm, though not as measurably. I thought it odd, that humanity has not adapted to combating the Grimm. Vacuo nearly had it right until you Atlesians messed everything up. The Grimm keep getting stronger so humanity gets stronger and it's just a vicious cycle of power. The only ways to break the cycle are for humans to either be wiped out or evolve to where the Grimm no longer have anything to feed on."

"I don't see either one as a possibility so I guess we're just stuck to the way things are."

"See, I knew you'd get it. Rich people tend to be more focused on their history and legacy than their future."

"You say that as if it's a bad thing. History is the backbone of our society. When I was growing up…" Weiss bit her bottom lip. "My mother was an alcoholic. My sister was a bully. My dad forced us into the family business and did everything he could to punish us for the smallest transgressions. All so that the Schnees could live on. Do you have any idea what that was…?" Vile punched her in the face a few more times.

"You think I don't know about legacy." He punched her hand, breaking it. "You think I don't understand." He squeezed her hands again. "You think I don't know…" His helmet folded back revealing his face. "What it's like to be burdened by genetics to live a certain life?!"

"You think that gives you an excuse to do all this?"

"Did your father think it an excuse when he subjugated Vacuo and Faunas workers?" Vile lifted Citrine again and walked off. Weiss sat in thought about what he had said. She recalled Edwin Glas making similar cracks about Ruby's heritage all those years ago. At that moment, Ruby came in through the broken elevator.

"Weiss!" Ruby ran to her.

"Stop." Vile said as he came out from behind the pillar. He still held Citrine in his arms and a gun in his hand, pointed at Weiss.

"The bombs done." Ruby said. "Time to show us who you are."

"You think that matters to me?" Vile said. Ruby stayed form. She knew she couldn't do anything to save them both until he made a move.

"Ruby…" Weiss said. "He's…he's an…" She tried warning.

"Silence." Vile shouted. He looked to Ruby. "You still don't get it do you." He looked away. "Can't really blame you. A lie agreed on by all is the truth. Only, it doesn't change the truth."

He put the gun in its holster. He manifested constructs in the form of letters on his hand. 'Vile the Seerlivey.' Then, the letters started swapping around forming a new phrase. Vile set Citrine down in a basket. His mask started coming up.

He had scars along his lips and throat. He had nappy black hair. He kept his eyes closed. Ruby didn't recognize him. Then he opened his eyes. The letters stopped moving around to reveal the truth. 'Levi the…

"Argentware." Ruby said under her breath. 'Levi the Silver Eye.' Both eyes started glowing with a white light.

"Now do you understand? I am the only one who can beat you. I'm you're worst nightmare." He said.

"I do…" Ruby sighed. A smile lined her face. "But you're wrong if you think that's my nightmare. My baby is safe. My best friend is alive. My lover is in the tower wrapping things up. My sister is disposing of that nasty chemical weapon. A girl I once called enemy is up there helping. We won. You lost. Now that I know why you do the things you do, it's relieving. I'm happy…I'm happy knowing that the burden of OUR ancestors is not held by me alone…that Citrine will never have to bare it alone."

"You're wrong!" Vile shouted. "I'm not like you. I'll admit, I wanted to be." His mask folded back up. "I used to believe in you. Even if it was only for a few short days before all of reality set back in."

"What happened to you?" Ruby asked.

"There is always a wizard, always a witch, always an Arbiter, always the Grimm, always an Argentware…no matter how much time passes, things always repeat themselves. Cipher alone could figure out why. When I did…" Vile lunged a punch at Ruby but she caught it. "I realized how fruitless all your efforts are in the grand scheme of things."

Ruby pushed him backwards and he flipped up to his feet. She dashed at him and tried backhanding him but he blocked it. He kicked her stomach with a shotgun blast. As she doubled over he tried shooting her in the head. She ducked under the trio of bullets and grabbed her weapon. As it transformed, the small spear in stabbed into Vile's face at an angle. He spun around and backhanded he causing her to do a backflip.

"Looks like you ran out of skull-rounds last time." Ruby said.

"I don't need them." Vile put up a shield as Ruby smashed into him. He changed it to a sword and swung up at her before slamming the construct down. He spun around, changing it to a scythe, forcing Ruby to back away.

Ruby fired her gun at him but he dodged them admirably. He summoned a set of clones to his aid and surrounded Ruby with a flurry of strikes. Ruby took it all in stride. She used her maiden powers to create an explosion of stone that hit them all at once. In the blink of an eye, she surrounded herself in green lightning and flame and smashed into him.

"I don't care what you say." Ruby said. "I will stop you." She sent a stream of green fireballs at him as she ascended into the air. "Not because you threatened my kingdom, or my city, or burned down my house, or tried to kill me." Vile danced around the projectiles but then got caught up in a tangle of vines. "But because you killed my father and threatened to take my daughter away from me!" She slammed him through a pillar.

"That's right. Keep fighting." Vile laughed as he planted his hand on the ground. A glyph appeared, it's dust covered the entire room. "If I tried killing you earlier you could have kept fighting and outlasted me. That won't happen this time."

"Ruby!" Weiss hollered. Ruby dropped from the ground as the green light faded from her eyes. The glyph stripped her of her maiden powers. Weiss quickly glanced around at the glyph. It wasn't a sustainable variant. That would be impractical for a kinetic fighter like Ruby. Anti-Maiden glyphs only took away that magic, they didn't have any effect on dust, aura or semblance. But this one was different, it had a time dilation module in it. Thirty minutes, that's how long Ruby would be without her powers. That's too long against someone like Vile, or Levi as his real name was.

Vile kicked her down into the ground. The next minute was a blur. Red and blue collided at a rate faster than Weiss could keep up. Their auras were flaring up as they muscled each other over. Ruby spun and took out any clones that came up. Vile switched to his sword. The impact of their weapons created shockwaves throughout the room. But she was giving ground. She was faster than Vile by a large margin. But Vile was fast enough. He was playing things defensively. And he wasn't budging.

"You think…" Ruby picked herself off the ground. "That this matters." She coughed up blood. She and Vile were in a gridlock. "You said so yourself that my ideals were pointless…that it doesn't change anything…so why do you fight? Unlike me you don't have anyone to protect!"

"I don't need pitiful bonds. All they do is drag me down." Ruby dashed forward and Vile dodged the strike aimed at his neck. This wasn't going well. He was peeling her like a pomegranate. Without the maiden powers, she had learned to rely on, she couldn't thwart his attacks. She had to dodge.

"Keep up the defense." Weiss said. "Your powers will return in less than thirty minutes."

"That's too long!" She said.

"That's long enough." Vile said. Their blades collided and grinded against each other. Ruby managed to deflect the blow just enough to send it into the ground. She spun on the shaft of her scythe and kicked him in the face. She fired the gun and the bullet hit him in the chest. As Ruby flew backwards from the recoil, she planted her feet in the wall and rocketed towards him.

On the way, she slashed at Weiss' restraints. Vile leaped up to avoid Ruby's canon ball stunt. Then she changed directions and blasted past him from behind. He was carried off his feet and Ruby followed up with a cyclone attack. She darted around with her semblance in the air. Vile blocked most of the attacks. But Ruby changed the form of her weapon last second and cleaved him to the ground.

Weiss took advantage of her freedom and ran over to Citrine. She grabbed the infant and shielded it. As soon as she did, Ruby cut loose with a massive vacuum attack. Vile couldn't keep up and the attack hit him in the face, splitting his helmet. Vile pulled out all the stops too with a barrage of various attacks. Canons, scythes, clones, a crossbow, all of it directed at Ruby. Weiss had to think of something. She found a safe place to hide Citrine and set her down gently.

"It's okay Citrine. Aunt Weiss has to go help your mommy." Weiss turned. Weapons and dust were conduits for aura. She had neither but she knew someone who always liked having a little extra ammo. "Ruby, lightning-round!"

"Thank you." Ruby said. She quickly tossed her lightning clip at Weiss. Weiss caught it and channeled her aura through it. She threw a bullet at Ruby and the time dilation glyph appeared at Ruby's feet.

"Oh my God, I can't believe that worked." Weiss cheered. She caught Vile's sword.

"You're a hypocrite." Ruby said. "You want to escape from this duty, the responsibility of having silver eyes, yet you use a blade created from the King Chart."

"You think I want to escape from this." His mask folded back down. "There is no escape from this. But when did it become law that Argentware must be heroes? What gives you the right to decide what we can and can't do. You are a descendent of Rose, the daughter of the first Spring Maiden and the eldest son of Abraham. I'm a descendent of someone else."

"I don't have that right." Ruby slammed him into a wall and disarmed him. The Sword of Damocles was flung into the wall. "You could be whatever you wanted to be. I chose to be a hero, like my mom and her mother before her. It was my choice."

"Was it? I heard Ozpin put you in Beacon early so that you could be in a position to be in the frontlines of the war."

"He had no right to try using me. But even if he hadn't war would have come and I would have done anything to help. That's who I am!"

"What happens when it gets you killed?"

"We all live knowing we can die any day. Does that keep the farmer from tending his fields? Or the miner from going into the mines? No! So why should it keep the huntress from going out in the world?"

"You inspire an entire population to risk their lives like you do."

"I never wanted that. I just wanted to be a hero, that is all I ever wanted to be. Before, I just wanted to fight monsters and protect people. Now I have something more to fight for. Because whether I really wanted to or not, I have someone who is going to look up to me for her entire life. I have to lead by example and teach her right from wrong. I have to encourage her to be whatever she wants, whether it's a huntress, a farmer, or something else…I don't care so long as it's what she wants and it's a good thing to do."

Vile was at a loss for words. He merely yelled as a dark blue titan construct surrounded his body. He slammed Ruby into a wall and began beating on her. Weiss acted on instinct, summoning her dread knight. The armored suit slashed at Vile's and tackled it into the wall.

"I was not ready for tonight." Weiss said.

"None of us were." Ruby dashed forward to help Weiss' construct. She switched rounds on the fly and channeled her aura threw them all. The result was a massive cloud of rose petals of all elements. Weiss jaw dropped, she knew maiden powers overall were more of a substitution for dust. Ruby wasn't a master at those powers like Kraken or Cinder so she kept dust rounds on her for more focused, strategic attacks.

Now she was using dust as a substitution for her sealed maiden powers. She looked so majestic up there for that split second. Weiss cursed outloud as she made a run for it, grabbing Citrine in the process as the whole room exploded with every element Ruby kept strapped to her belt.

Vile hit Ruby with a massive blue bolt construct. Weiss ducked and covered behind a steel beam, cradling Citrine as she did so. She peeked out and saw Ruby struggling against the mech construct. With a flick of her hand, Weiss created a series of platform glyphs around the room.

Ruby nodded and bounced between the glyphs. The red streak looked a lot like a blade being swung at lightning speeds. The giant construct began splitting like a robot being sliced apart by a red blade.

There was a massive explosion of red, blue and white light. The whole cavern caved in. Weiss sheltered Citrine as the roof caved in. She was once again protected by her summons, all of them came out to shield her. Weiss smirked, Ruby may be uneasy about her families past but Weiss was never so proud to be a Schnee.

A minute later things quieted down. Weiss stood up and double checked Citrine. She was laughing. The nerve of this…she was certainly Ruby's daughter. Weiss scowled in her mind. She coughed and wheezed at the dust in her throat. She tore a piece of her skirt and covered Citrine's mouth with it. She looked around and saw a lone capped silhouette in the dust.

"Ruby." Weiss coughed out.

"Citrine!" She rushed over and took the baby from Weiss arms. "You had your mommy so worried. She peppered the infant with undoubtedly dirt and blood stained kisses. "But you're safe now. I promise I'll never loose you again…" She bit her lip. "Not until you're ready anyway." She turned to Weiss. "Thank you." She pulled Weiss into a hug. "For everything."

"It was no problem." Weiss lied. She wrapped her arms around Ruby's waist and rested her head on the younger girl's shoulder.

"I really needed the assist." Ruby said. "I…I wouldn't have been able to do that with Citrine in the room."

"Where's Vile?" She said.

"Levi? I don't know."

"You think he's…"

"I doubt it. I didn't even see his aura break." Ruby said. "But I can't feel him."

"You don't have access to your maiden powers." Weiss noted. "You might not be able to sense him anyway."

"No it's more than that." Ruby said. "When we clashed…before my powers were sealed…I could sense all his feelings. I know he didn't want to do this but he felt he had to. I think…I think maybe his family hated mine."

"Just another mystery that'll probably keep Yang away from us." Weiss sighed.

"Cheer up." Ruby said. "You have Flynt now and trust me…once your baby is born it'll be like nothing else in this world matters." She put a hand on Weiss stomach.

"I don't think I…"

"You'll make a great mother." Ruby said. "I know you will. No faith required." She held Citrine against her face one more time before passing her back to Weiss. "Take her up, get her to safety."

"What? Why me?"

"There's still one more enemy to take down."

"Isn't Jaune handling that?"

"He is but…there's one thing I need Tobi to know before Kurome sends him to the next life."

"Alright." Weiss said. "I could use a boost to the surface though." She pointed to a hole that led to the surface. "I don't have the strength to carry Citrine all the way up there."

"I wish I could fly." Ruby said. "Can you create a few more…"

"Of course I can!" Weiss created the glyphs. She nearly feinted but Ruby caught her and dashed up the glyphs. Weiss was broken from her exhaustion as soon as she hit the cold surface. She looked up and could see the clock tower. A massive tree sprouted from the top. A red streak flew through the streets towards it. "You better not take long. God damn it I need a drink." Too bad alcohol had been forbidden to her while she was pregnant. Maybe her friends were willing to let her make an exception for tomorrow.

 **AN: Not quite as satisfying as the previous Ruby vs. Vile fight. Yes, I still call him Vile because right now, Levi doesn't really mean anything to you readers or to the characters. This one was supposed to be more of the clash of personalities. Though, there wasn't as much dialogue as I thought there would be, a lot of it was cut because of how repetitive it got. Next Time: Tobi's last stand.**


	25. Tobi's Last Stand

RWBYond War

 **AN: I just wanted to thank everyone for their support of this story and all my other projects. It's been a blast working on this story. Unlike other stories and arcs, I can't think of a single chapter I wished as better. This is an end of an era in a way. Even though there's still a chapter, an epilogue and a bonus chapter left for this story, I feel like I'm ending an on going thing that has been unique to RWBYond, Tobi.**

Chapter 25: Tobi's Last Stand

Jaune stood at the ready. Tobi's purple eye was fixated on him. His silver-shot eye darted around independently. Jaune took inventory of his situation. He was down on aura, about sixty percent if his scroll was accurate. Enclosed space, that was good. Tobi wouldn't be able to move around as much. Helios held a scared Eos in the cage. He would need to get them out asap. Tobi's thumb was on the button of the trigger. Jaune couldn't leave things up to chance. Even though Ruby had found the bomb, it didn't mean anything.

He focused on his aura. He had to take away every advantage Tobi had as soon as he could. He formed a small blade construct, smaller than a fly at the bridge of his nose. He kept it close so that it melded with his aura.

"Your final hour is at hand White Knight." Tobi said. "I must commend you on getting this far. When we first fought in Haven, I could never imagine it would be you who stands face to face with me on the verge of my greatest victory."

"You won't win Tobi. You lost in Haven. You lost in Atlas. You lost in Crete. Every time we have fought you have been the one to fail."

"You had assistance in all those battles." Tobi corrected. "It's never been just you and I."

"So it's no different than now."

"No one is coming for you."

"Do you REALLY think that Vile can kill Ruby."

"I know he can break her. Kill her on the inside. I suppose that's why he has Citrine."

"Not everyone is as sick and twisted as you. Your master chastised you. Your queen threw you away. All those who stood as your equal despised you. All your enemies have gotten the better of you. YOU are the only one who's alone."

"I wanted to wait until dawn for this. But I want you to see your precious city burn before you die!" He moved his arm up. Jaune flared his aura, launching the tiny blade like a bullet into Tobi's hand. The blow connected with the trigger, breaking it. Jaune swung behind him and destroyed the cage.

"Run!" He said. The kids didn't hesitate as they sprinted out and down the steps.

Jaune blocked Tobi's punch with just his shield. His thrust his sword into Tobi's stomach and it went right through. Jaune fell through Tobi, and the older man hit Jaune with a palm strike to the side of the head. Jaune lunged back forward to strike down on Tobi. This time, he coated his blade in aura, just a thin layer, enough to force Tobi to dodge.

Tobi slammed his hand to the ground and a massive tree sprung from his hand. The roots ripped through the sides of the tower and the trunk blasted the clock apart. Jaune fired his canon construct at Tobi but the former commander dodged it. He had learned his lesson since the previous encounters. His semblance only works on physical and elemental attacks. Pure aura attacks are impossible for him to slip through.

A branch of the tree split apart from Jaune's attack. Tobi jumped up and caught the branch before throwing it like a spear. Jaune could have blocked it, but he played things safer and dodged instead. Tobi flung a tangle of vines at him to ensnare him. He threw Jaune into the oversized branch. Jaune kept himself from falling using his sword. He created a platform construct and leaped into the air.

Tobi phased through the attack but Jaune wasn't finished. He spiked his semblance in a radial blast. Tobi stumbled backwards and was barely in time to phase through a prolonged combination. Jaune slashed wildly at Tobi. Tobi kept his semblance on, just as Jaune planned. He created multiple blades around Corcea Mors and hit Tobi with them. As Tobi flew backwards, Jaune fired a canon. Tobi extended his bio-prosthetic arm to evade the attack. Jaune struck where he landed with his hammer.

Tobi went wobbly as the hammer hit him on the head. Jaune was relentless with his strikes and drove Tobi through the slanted trunk like a nail. He got back in a defensive position. Tobi could come out from anywhere.

He did. He came from below, between Jaune's shield and his head. Tobi hit Jaune with a flying uppercut. Jaune had nearly forgotten just how strong Tobi was. Tobi then grabbed him by the ankles in mid-air and slammed him down into the tree. Jaune hit it hard on his back. As he bounced up, Tobi tangled him with vines and pulled him up for a close line.

Jaune hit Tobi with a flare of his semblance. Tobi shrugged it off with his aura and hit Jaune in the face. Jaune swung his sword but Tobi ducked underneath it. He took Jaune's arm and bent it backwards. He kicked Jaune's side and chopped his neck. He wrapped his arm around Jaune's throat with one arm and held his arm out extended with his other hand.

"It was always going to end this way." Tobi menaced. "The White Knight embracing the cold grip of death. I believe…"

"You believe in nothing." Jaune choked out. "You never have. You're a coward."

"Go to sleep now White Knight." He growled as he tightened his grip. Jaune focused. Now was not the time to panic. He had to think of something. His mind flashed to Ruby and Citrine. He shook the thought from his head, pleasant as it may be, it wasn't what he needed. His mind flashed to Tai. He pushed the thought away. He wouldn't fail here like he did there just a few hours ago. His mind went to Pyrrha, another somewhat pleasant thought, but this was not the time. Pyrrha would not do well against Tobi no matter how long she lived. Too many disadvantages. Then his mind went to Rubrum, for some reason…

That's it! His mind lit up. When he had fought Void alongside Rio and Ao, he saw the shark Faunas perform what should have been a suicide attack. But with Ao's incredible aura he shrugged it off. He had, at one point shrugged off Rubrum's aura bomb. That's what Jaune needed to do.

Too bad he didn't have that kind of control. Or did he? His semblance required a lot more aura control than most semblances. If Rio could pull it off, why not Jaune. It was just something Jaune had never bothered to try. No time like the present.

He focused his aura into his shield arm. His hand dropped down to the floor. He still had plenty of air left in his lungs before he had to worry about breathing. He projected his aura into the ground where his hand laid. Little by little his aura was siphoned through his hand. Then, with a spark of his will, the bomb went off.

"Take this you bastard!" Jaune laughed as they were both engulfed in the energy pillar. Jaune watched as his aura plummeted from his own attack. The sound of Tobi screaming in pain made it almost pleasurable.

As soon as the explosion stopped, Jaune spun around and hacked at Tobi. He saw Tobi's aura shatter from the impact. He surrounded his blade in a spear construct reminiscent of his first partner's.

"No!" Tobi shouted.

"Spear of Destiny." Jaune muttered. Tobi's hood and cloak had disintegrated from the bomb. Jaune's spear hit his shoulder, and blasted his bio-prosthetic arm off. Tobi slammed into the tower wall with a crack of breaking bones. White and black goo dripped out of the wound as he struggled to get to his feet.

"You bastard." Tobi hissed.

"Only one here is you." Jaune said. "It's over Tobi. I've got half a mind to finish you off. I know a lot of people want to kill you themselves and I know that line is long, and I'm not one to cut in line."

"You fool." He grabbed something from his pocket. "You've accomplished nothing!" He injected himself with whatever it was. Another tree sprouted from his severed shoulder. This one was a ghostly white. It his Jaune with an earth-shattering force. Jaune grabbed ahold of its appendages. His sword dropped off the tower. He clawed at the wood, trying to get up.

"Damn it." Jaune cursed to himself. Pieces of the white tangle of wood wrapped around Tobi. It replaced his arm and covered everything except his silver-shot eye.

"I'm going to enjoy this." He groaned. "A thorn in my side, literally falling."

"Don't you mean a splinter?" Jaune cracked. Yang wasn't here so someone had to say it.

As Tobi limbered up in his body a Black Gate appeared behind him. Yang and Kurome dropped down from it. Yang was the first to strike as Tobi spun around to meet them. A low-level execution strike hit Tobi in the gut. Tobi went skyward and was caught in Kurome's strings and slammed back down.

Jaune's hand slipped as the branch splintered under the impact. When he looked up Yang was above him. She had the biggest smile on her face. She pulled out Tobi's arm from behind her back.

"Need a hand?" She said.

"I would have thought that would be offensive to you."

"I'm coping." She grabbed him and pulled him up. "Kurome says that peeling Tobi like a banana is the best form of therapy. Isn't that right Kurome?"

"Works for me." The younger woman was slamming Tobi into the ground and all around.

"Insolent brat!" He pulled on her strings. She flew towards him, spinning as she did. She must have expected to go through him, so she didn't block. Tobi hit her with a palm strike to the gut. Branches blasted from his hand, pinning her to the wall.

Yang jumped in and tried punching him. Her hands moved in a yellow and red blur. Tobi phased through them all with his semblance. Jaune focused and hit him with a small attack again. It was enough to stun him.

Yang used him as a punching bag for a solid minute. Each punch put a dent or hole in his wooden armor. Every attempt he made to counter was met with brutal force. Jaune cut Kurome down. Kurome hit Tobi's leg with a string and tripped him. Yang unleashed a massive downward strike to his back, splintering the armor.

Kurome started pulling him apart with her strings. Jaune just sat back and tried not to watch. He didn't approve of Kurome's methods…but this was her battle and her style. She deserved to give everything Tobi got. After several minutes of torture, Kurome ripped his birch white arm off.

"Looks like this splinter has been pulled." Yang quipped.

"I already made a splinter crack." Jaune said.

"Oh, you, dick." Yang huffed.

"Well at least you didn't make a disarmed joke."

"See now that, that would be offensive to me."

"I do't…I don't get you." Jaune huffed. Kurome wrapped her strings around Tobi's throat.

"Ku…ro…me…" He choked out.

"You have nothing to say to me." She fumed. "For sixteen years of my life, you made Akagi's life a living hell. I got out from under your thumb and have spent the last four years getting VERY intimate with your pain receptors. That ends tonight."

"I…gave…you…life…"

"And I sparred yours back at Crete you ass hat. I thought by making you suffer like she did, I'd find happiness. But I didn't. Looking at you just made me SICK. I realized I was trying to cope. That I haven't moved on with my life like Akagi wanted. So, I am moving on…by KILLING you."

"Kurome wait." Ruby said. She had made it to the top of the tower.

"Ruby." Jaune ran over and hugged her. "Is Citrine alright?"

"She's fine." Ruby answered with a kiss. "So is Weiss."

"Helios and Eos are safe."

"I know, I ran into them down below." She said gingerly.

"What do you want Ruby?" Kurome scowled. "I'm NOT letting him go back to prison."

"I know." Ruby said. She walked over to them and set a hand on Kurome's head. You'd be forgiven to forget they were the same age. Kurome was a little shorter and had a much thinner build. She also looked the same as she had as a teenager, whereas Ruby looked her age.

"Then why?" Kurome sneered.

"You will have your vengeance, but there's something I need to say to him first." Ruby said.

"Then say it." Kurome pouted. She kept the strings at his throat but loosened them a bit. Ruby walked over to him.

"Vile lost." She said. "But that doesn't matter to you. What matters is Salem. You, like me, wondered how I was able to kill her when no one else could. Hope. Not for the world, but for myself. My family." She looked to Yang. "My friends." She looked to Kurome. "And those closest to me." She looked at Jaune.

"Why would I care?" Tobi groaned.

"Because that's what made me strong. It's something I used to say. But it wasn't until tonight that I finally understood. I give people hope. I inspire them to do better. It's not because of how strong I am. It's because…it's because I've never lost hope. Not once. Every time I nearly lost hope, someone was there to give it back to me. Humanity wants to improve. The only way to do that is to have hope, to be kind to each other, to never stop moving forward."

"Morality?" Tobi whispered. "Is a human construct. Your naivety knows no bounds."

"That's not how I see it…and that's not how Salem saw it. She saw what I…or rather what the idealized version of me could do. That's why she died with a smile. That's what it means to have a simple soul. I don't have to live up to it every day. History will idolize me regardless of what I do beyond this point. They'll remember me as the hero who ended the Grimm War. Beyond the war, a war you started, I'm just a mother and wife on Patch who goes on Grimm hunts."

"Are you finished." Kurome asked.

"Yes I'm…"

"I…" Tobi started. "I…chi…was…Oida."

"Beg your pardon." Jaune said.

"That is the name I was born with. Ichiwa Oida. I didn't ccare for that name or my family. So when I joined the Black Knights I changed it. There's a saying, in another language, about greatness from small beginnings. Tobi ga taka o umu."

"Why tell us this?" Yang asked.

"Because you deserve it. I'm fine with history forgetting me. It seems too late for that though. But you four, the White Knight who bested me, the Argentware who foiled all my plans, the subject who found her freedom and the Arbiter who comes back. Okay, so maybe you don't deserve it Yang Xiao Long, but it seems that this is my final ground."

"I'll make it quick." Kurome said. With a twitch of her fingers she snapped his neck.

"Kurome…" Yang put a hand on her shoulder.

"Can I borrow a fire-round?" She asked.

"Sure thing." Yang popped out a shell. Kurome snapped it in half with a string and set Tobi's body ablaze. The tree shook from its roots.

"The whole place is about to come down." Jaune said.

"Let's go." Ruby grabbed his hand. She walked a few steps before clutching her side.

"You alright?"

"I think I have a few ribs broken." She said. "I've got quite the story to tell you."

"Can't wait to hear it." Jaune said.

"Kurome." Ruby said.

"I'll be fine." She answered. "I'll pull myself to safety when I have to."

"Hey, you should stay with us tomorrow at Beacon." Yang said.

"I'll think about it." She said.

Jaune helped Ruby down the first flight of stairs. She really did look worse for wear. The rest of them had collapsed from the battle. So, Yang transported them via Black Gate. They touched down in downtown Vale. This must be where Citrine and the others were. As they walked to the nearest building, there was a gunshot. Ruby gasped as the bullet hit her stomach. And she collapsed into Jaune's arms.

 **AN: I wonder who that could be. I was going to leave it at the clock tower, but I decided this would be a good cliffhanger. Tobi is dead. He was the first major villain I introduced all the way back in chapter nine of RWBYond Val. That seems so long ago now. Next Time: The final resolution to RWBYond War.**


	26. Do It

RWBYond War

 **AN: This is the last action filled chapter of this story. Today is election day so…yeah…looking forward to how awfully that goes. Today I have this and a chapter of RWBYond Sisters. November 9, I'll have another chapter of Sisters, focused on a bit of info we got in volume 4. Sadly, my Kurome one-shot is being postponed, maybe canceled for another day. I just have too much on my plate to formulate that story and the important stuff has been stated numerous times throughout these stories. Without further ado, let's back up a bit to, close to the end of last chapter.**

Chapter 26: Do It

Yang sighed as she saw Kurome burn the remains of Tobi's body. She couldn't help but feel proud of her honorary sibling. She had come so far and now she was ready to finally live her own life. Yang had made a vow to Akagi, or at least the deadeye puppet of her, to protect Kurome. But Kurome didn't need her. She never did. Hell, Yang wasn't even too confident she could beat the younger girl at this point.

"Mission success." Rubrum said.

"Yep." Yang popped her lips.

"Hey if you can…um…swing by my place and pick me up on the way to Beacon…I'd appreciate it."

"Rubrum Snappes, don't you already have a girlfriend."

"I…shut up. I just want to be with you all to celebrate."

"I'm not celebrating shit until tomorrow night." Yang said. "I'm going to bed and you should too."

"Alright Yang. I'll see you all in the morning." Rubrum said.

"Goodnight." Yang turned her radio off. The building shook again as she descended the first flight of stairs. She saw Jaune helping Ruby down like a proper gentleman. It kind of made Yang jealous. She didn't have anyone like that. There was no one to make her feel like a princess.

"I'm fine Jaune." Ruby said as she collapsed into his arms.

"I'll take it from here." Yang said. She put her mask on and punched the air. A Black Gate appeared and the three of them stepped through. Yang had become numb to the portal's effects over the years. She still preferred the thrill of a motorcycle or jet, but this was exciting too.

They stepped out in downtown Vale. Yang wanted to pick up Weiss and this kids before heading back to Beacon. She reserved herself knowing that as soon as Citrine was in arms reach, Ruby was liable to smother her for the rest of the week. They walked to the nearest building. There was a gunshot followed by a gasp from Ruby.

"Ruby!" Jaune said as he caught her. Another gunshot and Jaune blocked it. Yang found the location of the assailant and stepped in front of the next bullet, punching it out of the air. She launched a rocket from her hand and destroyed the tree the shots came from. Vile fell from the tree and landed on his feet with a roll.

"Get out of here." Yang scowled.

"DON'T!" Vile said. "Don't you move a muscle. He was holding his side with his left hand. His right hand held a gun pointed at Ruby. His armor was dented and sparking. His mask was off, revealing his face. "I'm ending this now."

"The hell you are..." Jaune stood in front of Ruby but Yang stepped between them.

"Take Ruby and leave." Yang ordered.

"I'm fine." Ruby said. "Just…winded."

"Ruby you're bleeding. Your ebony threads are too stretched out from your previous battle. You already won all the fights you need to."

"No she hasn't." Vile said. "Until she's dead or I am…it's not over."

"Well then…" Yang said. "Give it your best shot." Vile fired his gun but Yang caught the bullet before it could get past her. Vile disappeared with a smirk on his face. Yang scanned the area and saw the shifting air where he was through her eyepiece. She slid to Ruby's side just as Vile thrust a flying kick at her. She blocked the first two kicks and caught the third. She tossed him back and he landed on his feet. Yang blasted at his feet with her shotguns, keeping him flipping through the air to dodge. She spotted his leg hitting the ground wrong and capitalized by slamming into him, causing him to go flying into a restaurant.

"Yang this is my fight!" Ruby said.

"With all due respect, piss off." Yang said. "I may not be an Argentware like you two, but you're MY sister, MY family, it was MY dad he killed too. So, you just take a hike and get your kid."

"Let's go." Jaune said, picking her up bridal style.

"Hey put me down!" She fumed but calmed down when Jaune gave her a big open-moth kiss. Ruby moaned as she wrapped her arms around Jaune's head.

"Stop ignoring me!" Vile put his guns together to form his sword. Yang blocked the sword strike. Jaune took off with Ruby. Vile tried dashing around Yang but she strafed in front of him at every step.

"You have my undivided attention." Yang said. "When I'm done with you, your new name will be Pile, as in the pile of garbage I'm going to dump your body in."

"This didn't end so well for you last time." Vile noted. "And to hell with my codename. It's Levi."

"Well why don't you Leave…I, promise I won't kill you if you apologize and promise to never show your sorry ass around here again."

"Tough talk coming from you." He swung at her again. He was fast, but not as fast as last time. Yang was just able to keep up and throw in a parry here and there. Vile was getting noticeably frustrated at his lack of progress.

"Hold still you bitch."

"What's the matter Vile? Having a hard time keeping your boner for murder up around me?"

"You're in no position to mock me!" He zipped around and kicked her in the face. She fell into the arms of a clone as it suplexed her. Vile stomped on her face with a shotgun kick. She went to punch his knee but missed as he pivoted around and kicked her stomach.

She rolled onto her feet and rushed him. Her hands moved at blinding speed as she tried hitting him. He was forced to block most of the blows. She kicked his knee out and hit his head with a headbutt. He doubled backwards with a grunt. He grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his helmet back up over his face.

"Probably should have started with that." Yang said. She barely reacted fast enough to block the flying kick combo aimed at her head. She tried upper cutting him but the punch was blocked by an energy shield.

Yang dodged a swing from the energy scythe. She somersaulted around the hammer construct, and with a massive punch destroyed Vile's shield. Vile grunted in frustration and tried swinging at her again. Seeing his technique in raw form, it wasn't all that strange. Dove's sword technique, Jaune's use of constructs and Mercury's kicks. Okay, so it was unique, especially compared to Yang's punches, but she never lost to any of them. She wouldn't lose to Vile.

Vile created a titan construct and crushed the entire little plaza they were in. Yang bailed using the Black Gate. She reappeared in the air, high above the city. She plummeted down like a comet towards Vile. His titan was looking around, ready for her to strike. Yang took a page from Ruby's book, actually it was something that her father had initially thought up and taught them. She fired her payload towards the sky to increase her speed. Her whole body caught fire as she hit terminal velocity and slammed into Vile from above.

The construct shattered, as did part of Vile's breastplate. She created a crater in the plaza with the strike. Before the smoke could clear she spotted Vile and punched him with an execution strike. The glyph tore part of his chest open but his aura was still stable.

"Got you." He said. Yang felt the sword pierce her from behind. She threw her elbow into him but that one was a clone. And Yang had almost second guessed herself too. The sword was also fake but it was enough to catch Yang off guard as Vile kicked her in the face.

"Damn you're good." She said. "Most guys, and girls, are left unable to stand after I blow them away."

"I'm not most guys." He flipped around for another kick but Yang dodged.

"You are hard to put down." She said as she caught his foot and held him up in the air. She slammed him down once before he managed to take a slice of her leg. She dropped him and jumped back before he could slice her neck. The sword might be shit for killing people, but a slice in her neck could still end her.

"You're out of your league." He sliced at her but she blocked the sword.

"You're the one that can barely move." She struck him in the stomach.

"I'm still plenty better than you." He kicked her arm.

"Then why are you the one…" She punched him in the face. "Getting wrecked?"

"Never has a Bran beaten an Argentware." He tried slicing her head off but she ducked under it.

"My name is XIAO LONG!" She punched him in the dick then sent a knee to it too.

"And look at where THAT legacy is."

"YOU BASTARD!" Her hair turned stark white and her eyes began to glow red. Her White Raven form reached heights it never had before as she charged him.

"That's right…" His helmet unfolded. His eyes were glowing with radiant light. The light from his eyes burned a white-hot pain through Yang's body. In a flash, he sliced through her mask, leaving a deep cut along her face. Her power scattered to the winds.

"What?" She was dumbfounded.

"As I said…" He started advancing on her with a relentless assault. "You could never beat me." He sliced along her stomach and kicked her solar plexus. She started coughing out blood and Redstone. "Being a descendent of Avis Bran is bad enough. But using that mask, those portals, that eyepiece."

"Damn it." Yang cursed. She pulled the Branwen spectacle off her right eye, which was burning and bloodshot.

"Did you know?" He continued his advance on her. "Redstone, and the black ooze that Grimm are born from originate from the same dimension? Did you know that dust disappears to that same Oblivion when it's used? That's where the Grimoire are now. That's where the Witch, the Wizard and all the previous maidens are now. That's where the strong go when they die. And those with magic can reconstitute from there. That's where all the new dust comes from when the Hecatonchires dies. Did you know any of that? Or did Avarice hide his greatest failure from you lot."

"To hell with Avarice."

"Might as well be. But your mother is just like him. And you, you're another Avis Bran waiting to happen. If I didn't piss you off so much…or if you weren't about to die…you'd make a much better fit for Cipher."

"What are you on about?"

"The White Raven…those with magic can reconstitute themselves." He stabbed her through the gut. "Avis Bran's magic lives on in you." He said. His helmet flipped back up. "And like him…you fall to silver eyes."

"How…do you know this…"

"You already know why…Avis Bran created Cipher when he had a falling out with Avarice."

"I…" She squeezed her eyes shut. "Am not Avis Bran…I…am not Ursa…I AM YANG XIAO LONG." She headbutted him and grabbed his arm. She bent it behind his back, pulling the sword out as she did. She took all that energy, all the pain that was searing from her body and burned like the sun in the middle of July. With that power, her power, not the White Raven form, she punched his arm to where it bent in half.

"AH!" He screamed in pain. He dropped his sword. His arm was folded up like a lawn chair. His aura shattered. The armor on his arm broke apart. As it did, his arm dropped down like a soggy noodle, bone fragments and a metal plate ripped out from the skin.

"I should kill you now." She grabbed him by the throat and slammed him to the ground.

"You should." He said. "I killed your father. Nearly killed your sister. Kidnapped your niece. Put your best friend in a hospital. Beat your uncle to a pulp. Laid siege to one of the most secure cities in the world…And I did it all in one night."

"You asked for it." She punched his face.

"But who will be the monster then?"

"I don't care what you say." She punched him again.

"But you care about her." She punched him.

"She'll forgive me with everything you've done!" She punched him repeatedly. She felt like she was getting nowhere. What was this freaking helmet made of? She roared in anger and frustration. Every bad day she had ever had manifested in each blow. She was going to kill this man. She didn't care what kind of connection he had with Ruby.

She kept punching. She didn't know when she'd stop…or if she'd stop. She definitely wouldn't stop until he stopped breathing. But every punch did nothing. Her blows were lacking the power she had earlier. His helmet had cracked and given to her force before but now she was tired. With one last howl and punch she closed her eyes and finally broke through. The helmet was crushed like a soda can. The weight that was underneath Yang was gone. The armor was still there but it was empty now.

"GOD DAMN IT!" She screamed. She turned to find the Sword of Damocles was gone too. She cursed at the top of her lungs with every fowl word she could think of. He had escaped. He was still alive to hurt her sister and friends. He likely wouldn't come back for a long time. Not with the beating she just gave. That didn't keep her from pounding the ground in frustration.

"Yang." Ruby said. Yang turned and saw Ruby standing there with Citrine nestled against her chest and Jaune standing beside her with an arm around her waist.

"He got away." Yang wiped the blood and tears from her face. Ruby knelt in front of her.

"We'll find him." She held Citrine with one arm and channeled her maiden powers with the other one to heal Yang's wound. "It's…going to leave a scar."

"That's okay." Yang said. "My face was only the fourth or fifth best asset I had." Ruby gently caressed her right eye.

"Everything else should heal nicely." She put a hand to her stomach. "Your stomach has a scar too. But I suppose we all do."

"Team RWBY badge of honor." Yang said. Ruby laughed at that. It felt so glad to hear Ruby laugh. Ruby ran her hand through Yang's hair and pulled her into a hug.

"Let's go sis." She whispered.

"I'd love too." Yang said. "If you need someone to watch Citrine while you and Jaune have the rest of the night to yourselves…"

"No, I mean…not tonight. We're sleeping with her. This night has been hell on all of us. I just want it to be over with." She looked back at Jaune who was doing his best to look cool. "Maybe tomorrow." Ruby winked. She stood back up and walked to Jaune.

"We did good tonight." Jaune said. "All things together."

"Any crisis that doesn't involve the Grimm is a lot better for city morale." Ruby said. "Even though I'd rather fight a million Grimm than go through another night like this."

"But the Grimm fear you…come to think of it…they were probably scared of Vile too." Jaune said.

"You're probably right." Ruby gabbed his hand and held it to her cheek. "Your hand is so cold."

"It is freezing out here." Jaune said. "Let's get inside before Citrine catches a cold." He but a hand on Ruby's back. "After you." Ruby led the way. Jaune followed close behind her. Yang stayed a few steps behind. She didn't want to ruin this tender moment between the spouses.

 **AN: Didn't see that coming, did you? You could end the story here. But I want to do an epilogue about the days following these events. Then I want to do a little bonus chapter about what other people thought Vile's identity was. So until next time, stay classy.**


	27. Beyond War

RWBYond War

 **AN: Thank you to all who followed, favorited and reviewed. This story is officially over. This is just some wrap up and stuff to set up future stories. And to alleviate any confusion, each section will have a little sub title declaring who the section is following.**

Chapter 27: Beyond War

 **Levi**

One moment, Levi was laying on his back being beaten to death by Yang Xiao Long, a Bran no less. It was humiliating but understandable. He had put his body through hell that night. The White Raven was just the straw that broke the camel's back. The next moment, he felt his body being pulled and stretched by an all too familiar temporal loop. The moment after that, he hit the cold hard stone with a thud.

"Levi!" Isabella cried as she ran to his side. She held him up and got to work. Her stardust semblance working wonders to ease the pain that was all over his body. She whipped her blue-green hair over her shoulders. Her purple eyes locked onto his silver.

"What happened?" Briggs asked.

"Team RWBY happened." Levi scowled. He couldn't be too hard on himself. Even though he technically lost, he went way further than anyone thought he would.

"You're lucky I got there when I did." The childish voice said. Levi looked up to see Cloak sitting on a pillar. "You'd be dead if I was a second later." Levi scowled at her. Her features were completely obscured by her brown cloak and silhouetted in the shattered moon light.

"We warned you this would happen." Isabella chastised.

"And I told YOU I could do this." Levi argued.

"The hell you could. Look at you, it'll be months before you can so much as throw a punch."

"I may have lost at the end, but I was so close." He banged his working hand against the ground.

"And the subjects from Project AKAS?" Briggs asked.

"Phos and Terra were taken in. Tobi was killed."

"And Ashford is still with us." Briggs sighed. "Did you at least teach her a lesson."

"I…I think she does understand." Levi admitted. "She just wants to be the one that makes things better. I…I can't fight her ideals anymore. But now it's personal."

"They know your name and face now." Cloak said. "It'll take years, decades even before my master is ready."

"About that…care filling me in?" Levi asked.

"No." A gruff voice said. A man appeared behind Cloak. He had inky black hair and a gas mask. His leather outfit was covered in metal spikes.

"Who the hell are you?" Levi said.

"This is my partner…Dagger Kane…he'll be taking over my master's preparations while I keep your sorry ass out of the crosshairs." She held a finger gun at him as she spoke.

"So what does Cipher do in the meantime?" Levi asked.

"Mothball as always. We can't afford to waste this opportunity. The Vacuum of power still exists. I would have loved for the Rose to be out of the way, but if you couldn't beat her now, no one ever will…until my master comes."

"Let me make this clear whatever you are, Ruby Rose is mine."

"We'll grant you the privilege Levi." Cloak stretched into a thread as she went through her wormhole and reappeared right next to Levi. "Have a little faith." She held out her hand. A red spiral thread appeared and expanded into an apple. "It just might have to wait a decade or two." She took a bite from the apple.

 **Helios and Eos**

Helios examined some of the trinkets on the table. Among them was, what appeared to be, a bike helmet with some nifty goggles. Ever since the siege he and his sister had been staying with Rubrum. He had been working out of his parents' basement ever since that night.

"So what does this do?" Helios asked.

"That's a specialized helmet." Rubrum said.

"I can see that much." Helios quipped.

"Well on top of being made from my patented material… it's got several settings, can see in every pseudo-visual spectrum, has a dozen or so scanners in it…"

"Cool." Helios put it on.

"So, have you figured out what you and Eos are going to do?" Rubrum asked. Helios shrugged.

"I don't really care so long as we're together."

"Where would you like to stay?"

"I like Ruby and Jaune but…I think that might be a hazard to my health." Helios saw Rubrum holding in laughter as he smiled.

"How so?"

"Are you kidding me? That guy is still out there. Who knows when he'll be back. I…I have to get strong. I don't want to be the victim anymore!"

"I understand." Rubrum patted his legs. "Maybe one day I'll tell you the story of how I got put in this chair. It's a long story…probably like…one-hundred and thirty chapters…if I don't skip all the unimportant bits."

"Really…" Helios trailed off. He was starting to understand what he was getting at.

"I just don't have time to do it here. I'll be leaving back to Atlas soon…Then again, you two could always come with me."

"REALLY!" Helios said excitedly.

"Now I have to warn you…the girl I live with is more than meets the eye…and she loves hugs…could end up crushing you…"

"I'd love to meet her." Helios said. "I mean…even if it's not forever…it'll still be wicked cool to be in Atlas."

"Was that a pun?"

"What's a pun?"

"Oh you sweet innocent child. I am taking you before Yang corrupts you. That is for sure."

 **Jaune**

Jaune moved another scaffold into place before hammering it to another piece. There were a dozen workers here today, rebuilding the Rose house. Half of them were local labor workers, just helping. The other half were hired by Weiss, and being paid handsomely.

"Mr. Arc." The supervisor said.

"Yes." Jaune answered.

"I know you feel like you need to be here…but please call it a day." He said. "Go to your wife and daughter in Vale. Leave the rest to us."

"I just…" Jaune wiped the sweat from his brow. "I want to get this done."

"It'll take weeks or even months regardless of how much effort you put in." He said. "The third shift is about to come in. You've been here since the first shift began. That means you've worked twice as long as any of my men."

"I…" He yawned. "Maybe you're right. I'll be back tomorrow. Even if I'm not working, I'll be here."

"I have no doubt about that."

Jaune took a walk through the woods. He was going back to the Glens house where Ruby and Citrine had been staying. Daisy was bedridden from the injuries. She got from the fight against Terra. Ruby was recovering too, and mourning. She had plenty of wounds and scars from the constant fighting that night. Jaune just had to be there for her. He had to stay strong. He and Ruby were partners, lovers, spouses. He couldn't let her shoulder everything on her own.

 **Ruby**

Ruby stepped from the tree line towards the cliff. Her boots crunched along the soft snow. A frozen tear fell down her face. It had been a week since the siege. Cliffside Altar had changed. The funeral was last night and now, two stone altars. The newest one was carved with: Taiyang Xiao Long- Out of the Fire we Rise Stronger. Beneath the epitaph was the symbol of twin serpents forming a heart.

"Hey, Mom…Dad…" She trailed off. "I know you two are spending time with each other so I'll make this quick. I know now why so many people have faith in me. I know why so many people put their hope in me. Thank you…I couldn't do it without you." She put her hood up and headed back home. Jaune and Citrine would be waking up from their nap soon.

"He escaped…Levi…Vile…whoever he is." Ruby said. "Yang was…going to kill him…I hope she doesn't shut down. I heard she's going to be traveling with Blake and Sun soon. That's good. She needs someone like them…. Anyway, I'll talk to you later."

 **Blake**

Blake sat in the hospital bed. She wasn't allowed to hardly move. Luckily her favorite channel had been put on for her. People may laugh, but she had a soft spot for melodramas. Her body had been absolutely destroyed. The doctor said she wouldn't be up for missions for at least another year.

The creak of the door opening gave Blake light flashes of Vile and that damned sword of his. Then when she saw the mess of blonde hair, her nerves were calmed. Sun popped in the room carrying a bouquet of roses.

"Sun!" Blake's heart lit up.

"Yang already filled me in on what happened." He put the flowers at her bedside and sat down. "I'm glad you're okay." He grabbed her hand.

"Sun I…" She couldn't finish it. "Adam's dead and…" He stopped her with a kiss on the lips. She moaned into the kiss and just let it happen.

"What part of 'Yang filled me in,' slipped past all four of your ears." He scratched her ears in just the right way that made her ecstatic.

"Did she tell you that my family may still be alive?"

"We'll find them together."

"Hope you don't mind Yang coming along."

"Hope she doesn't mind being the third wheel." A smile crossed her face.

"Sun I'm…I'm done treating myself like I'm some cautionary tale…like I know some great tragedy and took it upon myself to conceal it. Sun I…" She held his hand tight. "I want to have a baby."

 **Weiss**

Weiss reached for the bottle of wine sitting on her desk but Flynt slapped her hand. He waved his finger playfully at her. He then grabbed the bottle and took a swig of it. Weiss gave him a dirty look but he just laughed it off.

"So, Cipher Commander was a God Damn Argentware." Flynt said as he wiped his mouth.

"Yep." Weiss sneered.

"Glad to see you're okay." Flynt said as he took a seat.

"I'll be okay in about eight months when I can drink again." She said.

"You are such an alcoholic."

"You're one to talk." She seethed.

"I missed you too." He kissed her on the forehead. Weiss half blushed and half fumed in anger at how passive he was about all this.

"How can you be so calm?"

"Easy…Cipher only got as far as they did through secrecy and thievery. We know who they are now. They'll be too busy running to mount any kind of offensive. You lit a fire underneath them. Now we just have to paint the town for them."

"I don't know what's more impressive, your articulation, or the density of clichés in that sentence."

"It was four sentences darling." He winked at her. If she had a pen in her hand she probably would have snapped it.

 **Nora**

Nora laid in her bed, finally able to sleep in her own house. She was walking, exercising and living perfectly fine for someone in that stage of pregnancy. She remembered how for so long she would talk Ren's ear off about whatever she pleased. Today it was Ren's turn.

He lectured her about all the stuff he had found out the night of the siege. Nora was beyond pissed that she wasn't able to help. She hated with every fiber of her body, that she had to watch the night unfold on a television screen.

But everything was fine. Everything was going to be just fine. Ren was fine. Jaune was fine. Ruby was fine. Yang was…a basket case but what else is new? Blake was recovering. Weiss was fine. All the babies, born and unborn, were completely healthy.

Nora couldn't wait much longer. She wanted her little Nephrite to see the world. She was getting to the point to where she was running out of things to tell Ren. She couldn't wait to have a new set of ears to talk to about every little thing that popped into her head. She just prayed again that her baby would take after Ren.

 **Cinder**

Cinder was on her third bottle of wine in the week since the siege. Ruby had won the night. There was no question about that. Nor was there any doubt in Cinder's mind. The news that Vile was also an Argentware did come as a shock. Nothing else was a surprise.

She drank in celebration of being right. She drank in celebration of Tobi's demise. She drank in remembrance of her comrade Adam. She drank in celebration of Ruby. She drank in the potential son she had, that was still with Cipher. She drank at the possibility, of taking that bastards life herself.

"Cinder Fall." The warden said. "You have visitors." Cinder raised an eyebrow.

The three of them walked in. There were two girls and a guy. They seemed unfamiliar. When they saw her face, scared and burned by Vile, they gasped. At the taller woman's reaction, Cinder had no doubt who they were. Not that she didn't figure just from the demographics.

"Cinder." The illusion broke as Emerald gave her a hug. Cinder excepted it as she wrapped her arms around Emerald. It felt good, to be held by someone you care for. Especially when that person loves you.

"Ah…" Cinder couldn't speak. Her face twisted in agony.

"I swear we had nothing to do with Cipher." Emerald said. There was no doubt there either. Cinder could only answer with a smile and a hand on Emerald's face.

"We're getting you out of here." Mercury said. Cinder waved him off.

"N…" She tried speaking. She ended of whispering. "No…not…yet…safe here…visit…any…time?" She smiled.

"I understand." Emerald said. Cinder wanted to explain that her new prison accommodations were much more forgiving. The seals and collar were still in place. But she could at least get a little more privacy. Granted, she was right under the Arbiters' nose. Nevermore had become her personal warden now.

"Stay…safe." She said.

"I will."

"Thank…you." She choked out to Mercury. She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Anything to distract them from how powerless she felt. She gave Neo the same treatment.

"We have a son now." Mercury said. "We were going to introduce the two of you…his name is Jetstream Black and he's two years old." He said.

"I'm…surprised." Cinder said.

"Don't get any funny ideas." Emerald said. "We're not together. But…if I were to have a boyfriend…I don't think I exactly have a chance with anybody better."

"I'm fine with the silver medal." Mercury quipped. "You're a tough act to follow."

"Not…that…" Cinder said. "So…soon…"

"Hey we all have needs." Mercury said. Then Emerald elbowed him in the sides. Cinder knew they were bound to sleep together. But it was clear Emerald was holding a torch for her. Cinder wondered if Emerald felt like she could ever repay that debt.

 **Qrow**

"Damn it not so tight." Qrow fumed.

"I'm doing the best I can." Kraken said. "Soon enough Ruby's going to surpass me on the whole healing technique thing."

"Goody." Qrow took a drink from his flask. He was still mourning the death of his best friend. On the other side of the room, Raven was a statue of grace. Qrow could almost hear the gears turning in her head as she planned the next thousand moves.

"An Argentware from outside the Rose line…" Raven trailed off. "This is most concerning.

"What are you going to do?" Qrow asked.

"I…will do nothing. I have an academy to run, an order to maintain, a kingdom to protect, a maiden to hold, and knowledge to obtain." She said. "On top of having the world's oldest creature in my pocket." She joked.

"So you're not going after the one who killed Tai?" Qrow scowled.

"Don't mistake my predicament for inaction." She warned. "Griffon…" A man wearing the mantra of Griffon dropped into the window sill.

"Yes milady." He said. Qrow recognized him as August Gold.

"Your official Arbiter mission from now on is to bring Cipher down. This is to not interfere with your work at the Academy. This mission is effective immediately. The one known as Vile, or Levi Silver Eye, the Seerlivey of Cipher, is to be taken in…or taken out…I don't care which."

"With all due respect…shouldn't Ursa take on this mission?"

"My daughter has her own problems. And as we've found, has an unforeseen weakness to the Argentware's power. You are my greatest soldier. You alone can handle this mission. Kraken and Ursa will be available to assist you if need be. Don't underestimate them and don't engage Vile alone. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal."

 **Yang**

Yang stood atop the altar that held the monuments to the people who raised her. She took out a flask and took a swig of the burning liquor. She cracked her knuckles and ran her metallic hand over the new scar on her face. With a sigh, she built up the nerve to talk. How could Ruby be so comfortable talking to ghosts?

"Dad…Summer." She said. "I…I know this is more Ruby's thing…but I wanted to let you know I'm fine. I…I have to leave for a while. I don't know how long it's going to take but please…look after Ruby while I'm gone. More importantly…watch over Citrine. While you're at it…I could sure use a little guidance myself."

She walked down to the docks and met up with Sun and Blake. They were standing by the airship. Kurome was there with Terra tied up. They were all dressed up in their warmest clothes. Blake leaned backwards into Sun. Terra looked more bored than anything.

"You ready?" Sun asked. Yang gave a nod.

"I'll take you as far as Menagerie." Kurome said. "If they're hiding, or being hidden…Mistral is your best bet and Menagerie is exactly where the trail would be picked up."

"Thank you Kurome." Blake said.

"It's no problem."

"I still say it would be faster to use the Black Gate." Yang said.

"After what we learned from Vile…" Blake trailed off. "I don't think I ever want to use it again. Not unless I absolutely have to. I've lived a decade without my family, I can afford to take my time."

"Alright." Sun cheered. "Onward to adventure. It'll be a real journey to the east."

"That sounds dumb…really dumb." Blake said.

"You're no fun today." Sun shrugged.

 **Citrine**

Citrine sat on the couch watching cartoons. Her mother was trying desperately to feed her. But Citrine was having none of it. She swatted the spoon from Mommy's hand then laughed about it. Mommy looked so goofy when she was mad.

Mommy was saying something. Citrine couldn't understand what the articulated sounds meant. But she had picked up on the fact that she was Citrine. She was their daughter. Citrine loved how happy Mommy sounded every time she said that one name. Every time Mommy said Citrine she couldn't help but smile. Especially when she used a higher pitched voice.

She loved the kisses. She loved being thrown into the air and caught by Daddy. She loved her Aunt Ali and Aunt Yang. She loved all the sweets she was fed by them. She loved banging on her rattler. She loved crawling around with her little orange hero cape tied around her back. She loved when Daddy made swishing noises as he carried her through the air.

Citrine had no concept of anything outside of all the love she was surrounded with every day. Well, there was that one scary man with Mommy's eyes. But Citrine had nearly forgotten about him. Citrine lived a wonderful life. There wasn't a thought in her little mind that told her things could get worse.

 **AN: This was a fun chapter. Anyone who has read RWBYond Sisters or Happily Ever After knows how much I love little vignettes. I also love how I bookended with the two people that removed Ruby's "Last of the Argentware" status, to varying degrees. There won't be any new stories for a while, just add-ons to previous stories. All these characters will return in RWBYond Generations as well as some slice of life stories I have planned for the holidays. My next big story is an inbetweenquel for STRQ: Tales of the Old Huntsmen. Check my profile for details. Please review, follow and favorite. And until next time, stay classy.**


	28. Bonus Chapter Essay

RWBYond War

 **AN: Thank you to all those who read RWBYond War and participated in the pole. This chapter is for you; it will do little bonus takes on the Vile reveal and how it could have possibly changed the dynamic. This is also an essay about RWBYond War and how all the RWBYond stuff came to be.**

Bonus Chapter: Beyond the Veil

Roman Torchwick was by far the most popular option on the pole. I can see why; he is a beloved character and fan favorite villain. Ruby would be reasonably shocked at his return and it would have flowed well with the themes of the story. Levi is very much what would happen had Ruby or Jaune given into the darkness and adopted a worldview like Torchwick's. It also helps that we never learned his semblance, so that wouldn't need to change. As for how it's possible, well, I'll just say that Cloak has some powerful abilities. If she wanted Ruby out of the picture, she probably could have crossed dimensions and recruited Roman and molded him into the perfect killing machine.

No one picked Griffon even though I did imply that possibility. August recognized Cipher from the fact his predecessor used to be one of them. But as August faded away from the story, that possibility dwindled. It would also be an impossibility due to the fact we know Griffon died because Necros Faust used him back in RWBYond Vale. But had August donned the mantle of Cipher Commander, it would have probably been a ploy. He's definitely skilled enough to hang with huntsmen the way Vile does. But his motives would be lacking. I can see him doing all this as a test of Ruby's resolve, like one big con.

Which brings me to another possibility, which wasn't on the poll. I did consider at one point, having it be Qrow, or an Arbiter. The whole siege would had just been one big prank to make sure Ruby was prepared for adulthood, parenthood, and whatever challenges may come up next.

The most personal would have been Summer. With all the talk about legacy and parenthood in this story, Summer Rose was a very real possibility. It would have been the same set up as Torchwick with possibly a motive similar to the testing possibility. But Summer is much more important dead than alive. And seeing the beautiful death I gave her in RWBYond Hope, she's staying gone.

An inverse of the Summer hypothesis would have been the time traveler hypothesis. But if that was the case, and it may actually be, Vile would not just be some ass hole from the future. He would be a descendent of Ruby, through Citrine. This is why, he would have defended the baby and kept her close in the last hours of the night. By protecting Citrine, he'd protect himself. Levi, in the RWBYond cannon, is from a rival Argentware clan. But his parents or anyone could have actually been from the future and traveled back. So, if Levi is a descendent of Ruby, he doesn't know.

Adam and Cardin are both impossibilities. I'm surprised people picked them in the poll. Adam had his own roll in this story and I can't think of a motive for Cardin. They were just thrown into the polls for the sake of diversity. I guess Cardin might blame Jaune and Ruby for his teammate's death during the war, but then why kill Russel? Why wouldn't he direct his anger at the Arbiters? It was Avarice that killed Sky.

In the reviews, people brought up Ironwood and Mercury. Mercury makes a lot of sense. Someone even pointed out the similar fighting style, even though Vile's is a shotgun, not a pistol. Ironwood would have to be like the Torchwick possibility. And both would have required some technology to simulate his semblance.

I don't know how I would have pulled in alternate universes. I do like the alternate Jaune though. It would explain his semblance, his powers, his skill. Maybe his Ruby died so now it's one of those "if I can't have her no one will." Maybe Jaune is his end game and he just wants Ruby out of the way. Maybe it's like that movie The One with Jet Li.

There are still some things about Levi "Vile" Seerlivey that haven't been revealed. I look forward to showing him more in RWBYond Generations, coming 2017. Though, it won't have the frequent release date. Most of my writing time will be spent with Guardians of Terra.

So now I'd like to say some things regarding themes. I feel like I laid it on pretty thick. Never stop moving forward. Stay optimistic. Don't give up. The importance of family. Legacy is important to some. All of this was in RWBYond Vale but came to a boil in this fic. Vile is everything Ruby fights about the world. He is every negative emotion she could ever have. With his silver eyes, he is the incarnation of what Ruby fears.

She fears her own legacy; she fears that she's going to die like her mother. And the thing that scares her the most is that she'll gladly do it. That's why I think it was important for Weiss to back her up at the end. Her letting Yang handle Vile at the end was also a moment of great growth. She doesn't have to do everything alone. She has Jaune, her family and friends. Soon Citrine will follow in her footsteps. Ruby is going to have to learn to let go and let her kids handle things themselves if they can. With this long night, she's better prepared for that.

Ruby is an inspiration to those around her. Which can be a good thing, so long as they want to be like her instead of dependent on her. This is why I gave Jaune his own string of battles. He's emotionally the closest to her. He's the one Ruby chose to spend the rest of her life with. Yet this story, he stands on his own. He even defeats Tobi and pushes him to a desperate move.

Tobi's role is sort of a "last enemy that shall be destroyed." He is directly attached to a lot of character development in RWBYond Vale. He's a rival to Jaune. He is the spearhead that orchestrated the Battle of Haven. He is, in a way, Kurome's father, thus enforcing the legacy themes. The whole thing with the Isle of Storms, thematically link him to Vile's team. It also links him to Akagi, whose death is still one of the darker memories in Ruby's mind; evidenced by her appearing during the hallucination. His death represents an end of the old regimen. He was the last remnant of Salem's ambition, now that Cinder is finding her own lonely path.

The one reference I wanted to point out is the powers of the villains. No one noticed it in their reviews, but they're all based on Infamous Second Son. Ashford is smoke, Phos is neon, Terra is concrete and Vile is video. In fact, Phos' name was originally going to be Neon, but then we got a Neon in canon. Terra's name is a play on the anime Terra Formar, as well as being primarily based on Teen Titan's Terra. Phos is a play on Phosphorus. Ash is linked to Cinder with both his first and last name. Vile was based on the Arkham Knight.

Vile's name was originally going to be Vimeo, after the video streaming service. But I thought that name was silly. When I decided, his name should be Levi, I thought up his codename Vile, which is an anagram for Levi. Seerlivey as well is an anagram for Silver Eye. I think it was clever but worried about it being too obvious.

The original story for this, was thought up long before I even conceived Necros or the Grimoire. At first, I had a hundred-chapter outline that would have team ARRN's introduction (there working names being AMRC, MARN, and ARGN before settling on ARRN) and school time. Then a mission to catch Glas. A tournament in Mistral, then the battle of Mistral and all the stuff with the Isle of Storms. Ending with the declaration of war, with my OC team being a year younger than the main cast.

Then it was going to cut to this. Ruby was going to be much older and married to Jaune. They weren't going to have a kid yet, that was going to be part of the character arc as well as something Tobi would give them the ability to do with his dying breaths. In this version, Vile (or Vimeo in this outline), was going to be a war orphan that Ruby failed to save. There was going to be numerous flashbacks to the war and the fact Ruby ultimately killed Salem (who was simply called Queen in this outline).

A lot of those flashbacks took a life of their own and eventually expanded into a seventy-chapter Tales of the War Front. That continued expanding with the conception of the Grimoire and Necros Faust, into what would become the last three arcs of RWBYond Vale.

Volume 3 changed everything. Beacon was no more and RWBY was splintered. Pyrrha was dead, so anything my original outlines had for her was cut out. Team ARRN was aged up to be full-fledged huntsmen. The tournament was cut and the Glas' stuff was rolled into the Battle of Haven. The Isle of Storms went about the same, with the added stuff about the maidens and Ozpin needing to be rescued. The third arc was comprised of a lot of those old flashbacks. Then there was an arc for Necros and an arc for the Grimoire and Salem.

RWBYond Vale, was a story about revelation. All the secrets being brought into the forefront. RWBYond War, is a story about peace and how it is achieved in this new world. I don't think there will be another war in the RWBYond verse. I want to do something entirely different with the next generation. I don't want them to be copies of their parents. I want them to be their own characters with unique dynamics that we haven't seen in the series or in RWBYond.

As one last thing, here is a list, in alphabetical order, of the eight heroes that will lead RWBYond Generations. Ariadne Glasgorm is a repurpose of a character I made for what will be my magnum opus. Citrine Rose, the daughter of Ruby and Jaune. Eisenhertz Schnee, the daughter of Weiss. Johnny Clay, another repurpose from Light Bringers. Nephrite Ren, the daughter of Nora and Lie Ren. Nova Wukong, the daughter of Blake and Sun. Scotland Yard, the third repurpose from Light Bringers. And lastly, Topaz Azul, the daughter of Rio and Natalie.

 **AN: Hope you enjoyed these ramblings about my stories. I hope to see you all again for RWBYond Generations and the other stories I have planned. My next big one is a Violet Rose story taking place about fifty years before the events of RWBYond Vale. Stay classy.**


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